


Structural Damage

by NovelCarrington



Category: Chris Evans - Actor - Fandom, Real Person Fiction
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-11-08
Packaged: 2018-07-19 23:19:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 143,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7381543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NovelCarrington/pseuds/NovelCarrington
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sabrina Burnham is a successful architect in the city of Chicago.  She has power, influence and most certainly gets what she wants without hesitation.  When her best friend and general counsel, Audrey Clarke, introduces her to Chris Evans, the sparks fly immediately. The two are immediately taken with one another even though they don’t act on their attraction.</p>
<p>They finally do give in, and while it is hot and they can’t deny their feelings, they realize they need to keep it casual.  Neither one of them has the capacity for a serious long-term relationship with their workload.  But what happens when those feelings emerge and they aren’t honest with one another about them?</p>
<p>Both of them are left with Structural Damage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: I am taking a great deal of creative license with this story. I have made Sabrina a very successful architect and made her responsible for some iconic buildings in the city that are definitely not her’s – she is not real! I have her as the great-granddaughter of Daniel Burnham who is most definitely real and who is responsible for helping to shape the architecture and feel of the city of Chicago. He did, in fact, design the Flatiron building in New York and Union Station in Washington, DC. 
> 
> The Aqua building is an 87-story mixed use building that was designed by a woman, her name is Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects. This was the largest building ever awarded to an American firm that was headed by a woman. I mean no disrespect in having it designed by Sabrina in my story. 
> 
> I feel it necessary to point out that I am taking creative license, and it is all in the name of storytelling but is in no way meant as disrespect towards the designers of these grand buildings. I have a deep appreciation for these particular buildings, which is why they were selected for the story.

The conference call was not going well; the development deal for the new building in Honolulu was in jeopardy, and Sabrina was beginning to lose patience. It was almost 8 pm in Chicago, and this call had been going on for nearly two hours. She was pacing back and forth in front of the large glass windows in her office, watching the traffic below, along the river. She guessed that the night must be warm, no one was bundled in jackets, everyone was in jeans and short sleeves. Sabrina never watched the news or the weather; she hardly left the confines of her climate controlled office for that matter. The arguments on the other end of the line suddenly stopped, the Hawaiian investor had abruptly disconnected the conference call, and Sabrina was left with nothing more than a dial tone. She left out a long string of expletives and stormed over to her desk and slammed her phone’s handset down. She then began marching toward her office door; the heels of her Louboutin’s clicking on the hardwood floors, she certainly walked with a purpose. With force, she flung open her door and snapped at her executive assistant who was still sitting at her desk, clicking away at her computer.

“Alice, get me Audrey on the phone, right now!”

Alice’s head snapped up, and she could almost feel the fire coming out of Sabrina’s eyes, “Ma’am she has left for the evening. She indicated she had plans and would be out of reach.”

“I don’t care, call her cell, that’s why I pay for the damn thing, so I can reach her when I need her. Once she’s on the line, you can go home, I’ve kept you here too long today as it is,” Sabrina’s voice had softened. She liked Alice, and she knew that she worked her too hard, and she did feel bad about it.

Alice nodded her head in response and immediately picked up the phone to dial Audrey’s number. She was acutely aware that this deal in Hawaii was in trouble and knew the amount of money that was at stake. When deals were at this stage, Sabrina’s stress level was through the roof. She was used to her barking orders and then dialing it back and then ramping it up again. It was a roller coaster to work for this woman, but Sabrina took care of her and paid her well and respected her which was more than she could say for previous male bosses she had.

Alice dialed Audrey’s number, and it rang several times before she picked up, the irritation was noticeable in her voice, “This better be important, Alice. I told you I was unavailable tonight.”

“I do apologize for disturbing your evening,” Alice’s proper British manners were now on full display, “Ms. Burnham asked that I get you on the line immediately.”

“You did tell her that I was unavailable, right?”

“Yes ma’am, I did, and she was quite insistent that I call you,” Alice explained.

“Damn, I take it the Honolulu call didn’t go well?”

“She did not discuss the call with me; however, I do believe your assumption would be accurate, ma’am.”

Audrey let out an exasperated sigh, “Fine, put her on the line, I’ll hold for her,” Audrey’s irritation was evident.

Alice put the call on hold and buzzed Sabrina’s office to let her know the call was waiting. When she noticed that the call was picked up and heard Sabrina’s voice boom through the room, she began to gather her things so she could leave for the evening.

“Audrey, where in the hell are you? And why were you not here for this meeting?” Sabrina began to bark into the phone, “You knew there was a chance this meeting was not going to go well, and you left me here to handle this on my own.” She waited to see if there would be an answer. Instead, she heard nothing but music and muted conversation in the background, “Are you listening to me, Audrey? Where are you?”

“Take a deep breath and calm down, Sabrina. I told you that I had plans for tonight and I would not be on this call, I can’t help it if you elected to ignore me.”

“Plans? With who? What is more important than this deal?”

“I have plans with a friend who is in from out of town. And yes, I have friends other than you, Sabrina,” she paused and took a sip of her wine, “Why don’t you come and join us? I guess you could use a drink or six.”

“Join you? I have a deal going to shit, and you want me to come and party? Are you out of your ever-loving mind?” Now her irritation was growing, “I need you here to help figure out how to save this project because I want this building built.”

“Chris and I are having drinks, we are not partying. And I guess you’re pissed off because the developer hung up on just like he did last week,” she took another sip of her wine and tried to stifle a laugh. “No resolution is being reached tonight so we might as well just work on it tomorrow when you are calm. So, come down and have a drink with us at the Signature Room and unwind.”

“The Signature Room, really? And who is this Chris?”

“He is a guy I met in Vegas last year when I was out there for a seminar. He’s a great guy, and he’s in town for a wedding so we thought we would catch up. Quit being a snob and come join us.”

Sabrina let out a huff and disconnected the call. Audrey began to laugh and tossed her phone into her purse, “She’ll show up, she just has to throw a fit about it first.”

From across the table, Chris Evans just stared at the raven-haired beauty. The two had met at a blackjack table in Vegas almost one year ago, to the day. She was on a hot streak, and he was completely captivated by her; both by her winning and by her looks. She was tall and had brilliant, emerald green eyes that were set off by her black hair. He had to admit that he also appreciated the fact that she cursed like a sailor; it was quite a contrast to the beauty with a dirty mouth, and she did nothing to curb it when she spoke to him, she had no interest in trying to impress him. As a matter of fact, he realized later that she had no idea who he was; she just thought he was a regular guy in the casino.

He found out she was a corporate attorney who specialized in contract law and real estate law; two things that sounded dull and he had absolutely no interest in. She lived in Chicago and was in Vegas to give a presentation at a seminar; blackjack was her distraction because she had no interest in hanging out with other lawyers. She met Chris the day after she had arrived in Vegas, so lucky for her, it came to pass that for the next few days she now had someone to hang out with. They hit it off immediately, and if they weren’t playing blackjack, they were drinking. However, amazingly enough, they never ended up sleeping together. They had chemistry, or so they thought, but when they kissed there were absolutely no sparks. They decided to move forward with friendship; although Audrey always wondered if the lack of sparks came because of lack of real chemistry or from an overabundance of alcohol.

Their friendship was strong, though; Audrey became a confidant for Chris, and he knew that he could tell her anything, and she would keep the secret. She also helped him out with his contract review when he purchased his house in Concord. He trusted her, and the feeling was mutual.

“I take it your friend is having a bad day?” He asked, taking a pull on the beer bottle in front of him.

“Yeah, you could say that,” Audrey replied quietly, “I should warn you, in case she shows up, Sabrina and I very different. I mean we are good friends, and we work together, but she is, shall I say, quirky.”

“Quirky? You’re describing your friend and co-worker as quirky?”

“See, here’s the thing, she isn’t actually my co-worker. Truth be told, she’s my boss.”

With this tidbit of information, Chris sat up in his seat and leaned forward. This conversation had just taken an interesting turn, “Your boss? Wow! Ok, I will admit I wasn’t expecting that. I always had the impression that you took orders from no one, Audrey.”

“Ha, yeah well, I am good at giving her lip and letting her know I am not happy, but she does sign my paycheck.”

Chris was sitting where he could see the elevators that opened into the bar. He loved being able to people watch; in Chicago he was unrecognizable, and he loved it. He was not hiding, he was wearing dress slacks and a dress shirt with the collar open and the sleeved rolled up. He looked like a businessman having a drink and didn’t seem any different than any other man in the room. For once, his longer hair did not have lots of product in it, and his beard was thinned out; it was unbelievable how different he looked from his Captain America persona. The facial hair made all the difference in the world.

His conversation with Audrey was light, and he was able to watch the elevator and stay involved in the conversation without appearing to be rude or uninterested. However, that all changed when the woman in the gray power suit with the red heels came walking off the elevator. She held her head high and carried a long clean line as she marched into the bar; she had a commanding presence, and he could feel himself grow hard just watching her. She also sucked the oxygen out of the room, every man’s head turned to keep an eye on her and to Chris’ shock, she was walking directly towards his table.

Audrey noticed the change in his demeanor and the flush in his cheek. She leaned forward, “At ease soldier, you don’t want to embarrass yourself when you stand up and say hello.”

He snapped his head to look at her, “Huh, what?”

“I can tell by the sound of her shoes, it’s Sabrina. Best be thinking about your mom naked to get that puppy to stand down because you don’t need to bring that out to play right now.”

“Great, thanks a whole hell of a lot Audrey. I didn’t need ma’s naked image in my head, but I think it’s working.”

About that time, Sabrina is standing at the table, “Ok, Audrey, I’m here, does this make you feel better?”

Audrey turned and looked at her, “Get the stick out of your ass and sit down. I assume you want a glass of white wine?”

Sabrina turned and looked at Chris, a glare actually, wondering if he was going to be a gentleman and pull out her chair. “Of course, what else would you expect me to drink?”

On cue, Chris jumped up, pulled out her chair and waved over the waitress, “Can we get a white wine for the lady, please?”

The waitress looked over at Sabrina, her eyes went wide, and she quickly scurried off. Chris found that to be odd, but he didn’t say anything. Sabrina got comfortable in her seat and did a once over of Chris, who was still standing but not looking in her direction. She had to admit, he was quite handsome. She could see why Audrey had never mentioned him and why she was friends with him. She would have to ask her later if they were the ‘friends with benefits’ variety because he would definitely be worth it.

The waitress appeared a moment later with a glass of wine and carefully set it down, “You should find this to your liking, Ms. Burnham. Should there be a problem, please let me know immediately.” Sabrina nodded and smiled, and the waitress bowed her head and walked away.

Chris went ahead and sat back down, stunned at that display. He had not seen the waitress act like that with anyone else that she had interacted with that evening. Exactly who was Sabrina Burnham? He glanced quickly over at Audrey in the hopes he could try to get her attention, but she wasn’t looking his way. Suddenly, it was like he wasn’t even there.

“Did she at least get a good year?” Audrey asked, noticing that Sabrina was taking a sip.

“She did a good job; I’ll have to leave her a nice tip for that. But I still hate this place, this building is shit, and you know it. I think you make me come in here from time to time just to torture me.”

“It’s not that bad, get off your high horse.”

“There is absolutely no atmosphere here,” she turned and looked at Chris, “Audrey is rude and has not introduced us. I’m Sabrina, and you are Chris, is that correct?”

“Yes, ma’am, that is correct. It is a pleasure to meet you,” he tried to turn on the charm, but he could tell that his use of the word ma’am might have ruined that.

She turned back to Audrey, who was smiling, trying not to laugh. “Did he just call me ma’am? Oh dear Lord!”

“Sorry, it’s a force of habit. If my mother heard me speaking to a lady and not using manners, well she would beat me, no matter how old I am.”

Audrey could not contain herself any longer and let out a full belly laugh; she knew other people in the bar were probably watching her, but she didn’t care. “Chris, you are just too adorable. I really do need to meet your mother.”

Sabrina was not paying attention, she was looking around the room and sizing up the entire space. “Audrey, you know, we could add a luxury bar into the top of the building in Honolulu and make it an exclusive location. That could be an extra draw for the developer, and the view would be exquisite. That could throw a new spin into this negotiation and help get the building done. I want this done and wrapped up before I have to leave for the conference in New York.”

“See, aren’t you glad I brought you up here after all? It gave you inspiration.”

“Ha! This place is incapable of anything other than providing me a window into how a chic dining experience or bar should be done versus how this place is done. How in the hell is this place an elite location? There is no atmosphere.”

“You said that already, Sabrina.”

“Well, it is so important it bears repeating,” she snapped back.

Chris sat up in his chair, deciding that if he was going to join in this conversation he should not slouch and look so relaxed. “I think the atmosphere in this place is the view and not so much the decoration and design inside. I mean, look out those windows and you have a fantastic view of the city. That’s why people come here, to look out over the city. The decorators figured they would go with a minimalistic design so you are drawn to look out the windows.”

Audrey and Sabrina just stared at him, unsure of what he had just said or how a coherent thought about design elements came from such a beautiful boy. In all of her conversations with him, Audrey had never had that deep of a conversation on any subject with Chris; she wasn’t sure he was capable of that type of discussion. Boy, did he just prove her wrong!

“So, besides being an actor, you are a designer too?” Audrey asked, somewhat sarcastically.

“No, I’ve just been told that I have an eye for the aesthetic, that’s all.”

Sabrina just shook her head, “You’re an actor? Seriously? Oh man, I need another drink,” she waved down the waitress. “Thank you for the wine, but I need something a bit stronger, can you please bring me Absolut and cranberry please?”

“I’ll take another beer if you don’t mind,” Chris chimed in, “Audrey, do you need another drink?”

“No, I’m good.”

“So, Chris, you have an eye for the aesthetic? Let me guess, you think you are an interior designer, and you have an eye for what looks right?” Sabrina was snarky, she knew it, but she just could not help herself.

He leaned forward, deciding not to take any guff of her this evening, “I like to think I can tell when something looks good, and I don’t think I need a fancy degree to tell me that something is attractive.”

Now Audrey decided to sit back and watch the verbal volleys between Chris and Sabrina. He had no idea who he was messing with, and this could get ugly if he were not careful. She might have to step in and save the boy if push came to shove; she didn’t want Sabrina to eat him alive. She wanted to remain friends with him, and if things got too bad, she might lose that friendship.

“I see, and you think this building and this view are both attractive?”

“I think any view of the city of Chicago from a high-rise is a beautiful view. This is a beautiful city with a gorgeous skyline; some of the most impressive buildings I have ever seen are in this town. I can appreciate architecture, Sabrina.”

“You didn’t answer my question, Christopher,” she purred, “Do you think this is an attractive building.”

“Oh I have seen things that are stacked better than this building, that is for sure,” he growled back at her.

Audrey began choking when he made that comment because she was sure he was not referencing buildings. Chris and Sabrina both glanced over at her to make sure she was okay; she waved them both off to indicate she wanted them to go back to their fighting.

“Come with me,” she said as she reached for his hand. Chris put his beer down and took her hand, she could not get over how large his hand was and how soft it was. She could have sworn she felt a jolt of electricity spark through her when he touched her. She walked him to the large windows on what would be the river side of the building. She stood directly behind him, her hands on his waist, and her head at his bicep, “Tell me, Chris, which buildings to you see that you would identify as better stacked than this building?”

She could hear his breath hitch in his throat, “Well the building I saw earlier that caught my attention, you can’t see it clearly from here,” he reached down and took her hand from his waist, pulling her around in front of him. He wrapped one arm around her and used his other hand to point out across the skyline, “Over in that direction there is this unique building that has a rippled effect when you look at it from far away. I believe I was told it was called the Aqua building. Now that,” he said as he lowered his head near her ear and began to speak in a breathless whisper, “Building is a woman; elegant, beautiful and well stacked.”

It took a few seconds for Sabrina to realize she was holding her breath. This man, who was clearly younger than she was, could flirt with the best of them. The boy had game, and she had to give him mad props for that. He also had a real eye for design since he picked out her building! Surely Audrey had told him about the building, there is no way he came up with that all on his own.

He spun her around to look at him and before she could answer him, the Mayor was headed straight towards her. He waved his hand at her, and she gave a polite wave back; Chris could see that she went back into business mode rather quickly. He stepped to the side to allow her to greet whoever was walking in their direction; since his back was to the room, he had no idea the Mayor was approaching.

“Ms. Burnham, it is so nice to see you this evening. I hope that I’m not interrupting?”

“Good evening Mr. Mayor,” Sabrina said as she took his hand and provided a firm handshake, “No, you are fine. This is a friend of mine, Mr. Chris Evans, this is the Honorable Mayor of Chicago.” Chris turned and provided a warm smile and a handshake. He started to excuse himself to go back to the table, but Sabrina grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her; she wanted him to stay.

“I understand you have put in a bid to try and put a new building on the spire site? I’m very excited to see the proposal and the renderings, but I haven’t heard if there is a meeting set up yet.”

“Indeed, I have, Mr. Mayor. I submitted the plans and the drawings at the end of last week, but I’ve not heard back yet regarding their plans for a public hearing. I would like to move forward right away, that site has been an eyesore for too long.”

“I understand you are working on a deal in Hawaii as well, are they trying to steal you from Chicago?”

“My heart is here, sir. Right now, I’m not in danger of going anywhere.”

“That is good to hear, you are a city treasure, Ms. Burnham, and it would be a real loss if you were to leave. I look forward to hearing about your new building plans. Have a pleasant evening and it was nice to meet you, Mr. Evans.”

“Likewise, Mr. Mayor,” Chris acknowledged and had to admit he was a little dumbstruck for the moment. The Mayor of Chicago just called her a ‘city treasure’ and doesn’t want her to leave. “What exactly do you do, Sabrina?” He had to ask because now he was curious.

“Chris, you’re familiar with the Flatiron Building in New York, right? Or maybe the Field Museum here in Chicago?”

“Yeah, I’m familiar with both of those buildings, why?”

“They were designed and built by a man named Daniel Burnham,” she paused for effect, letting the information she gave him settle into his brain.

“Burnham? Like your name, Burnham?”

“Exactly like my name. Daniel Burnham was my great-grandfather, and he is quite legendary in the city of Chicago, he was the great architect of the city. I’ve followed in his footsteps as well as the footsteps of my grandfather and father – I’m an architect and a damn good one. I know run my own firm, not the one that my family owned but one that I started on my own with my own name and money. And I am successful on my own merit, but I don’t change my name because it at least opens doors that would be shut in my face otherwise. But I get the job because of my talent, not because of my name.”

“And that is why you are a building snob? You design and build for a living so you are particular?”

“Yeah, you could say that; actually, that is what Audrey says all the time. I’m not trying to be a building snob, but it is a curse. So, you’re an actor, do you find that you judge the performance of others against what you may or may not do?”

Chris looked away, unable to make eye contact with her, “Ok, fair enough comparison. I might be guilty of that from time to time.”

Sabrina turned and began to walk back towards the table, she didn’t say anything to Chris before doing so. He fell in step with her though and followed her back. Audrey was watching their every move, and both of them noticed it. When they got back to the table, Chris held out Sabrina’s chair and then he took his seat.

“So, I saw the foreplay, are you two going to get out of here and fuck or what?” Audrey asked the sneer was evident in her voice.

“No need to be crass,” Sabrina barked at her, “Chris and I had a conversation about buildings, Audrey. Don’t worry, I’m not stealing your little boy toy.”

“Well he isn’t my boy toy,” Audrey snapped, her words were slurring just a little. It was evident she had been left alone to drink just a little too long.

“I’m not a boy toy for anyone, and I am right here you know,” Chris replied.

Sabrina reached into her purse and took out some cash, tossing it onto the table, she then stood up. The ice queen demeanor she walked into the bar with had returned, “Nice to meet you, Chris. Enjoy your stay in Chicago.”

And with that Sabrina Burnham walked out of the bar and towards the elevator. Chris wasn’t really sure what had just happened, but he sensed that he was now a problem between Audrey and Sabrina; how in the hell did that happen? He wasn’t about to ask Audrey right now, she was a little intoxicated, and he was a little worked up. Sabrina was not like any other woman he had ever met, and frankly, she wasn’t the type of woman he would be attracted to. But she had a commanding presence, and that had him captivated and intrigued, and all he knew was that he wanted to find a way to see her again.


	2. Chapter 2

Audrey stepped off the elevator and made her way towards her office; she left her sunglasses on because the fluorescent lights were a little much for her this morning. She had stayed out a little too late with Chris, drinking and talking until the wee hours of the morning and completely forgetting she had an early morning to prepare for. She was already late, it was nearly 8:30 and on most days she was in the office by 6:30. No telling how many times Sabrina had already dropped by or tried calling her desk to begin discussing the damn Hawaii deal. She could sneak into her office without Sabrina seeing, but she would eventually have to face her.

Audrey knew that she had fences to mend; one with Sabrina and one with Chris. She couldn’t remember why Sabrina was angry, she just remembered that she when she left, Chris’ mood changed. She could tell that Chris had actually started to feel something for Sabrina; he made it clear he didn’t want to discuss her the rest of the evening. The two of them had enough to drink that it was not a problem, but she knew she had to do the right thing and mend that fence later today. She could easily avoid him most of the day; he would be able to sleep off last night!

But Sabrina, well there would be no avoiding her; as a matter of fact, Audrey opened her office door and found her sitting behind her desk, waiting to pounce. She gasped in surprise, and swore she saw an evil grin emerge on Sabrina’s face, “Well, nice of you to come to work today, I was half expecting you to call in sick.”

Audrey walked into her office and softly closed the door behind her, “If I thought I could without you firing me, I would have,” she finally admitted.

“Here, I brought you coffee, it should still be hot, I’ve only been in your office for about 10 minutes. I had Paul, from the security desk in your building call me when you left for work. Guess it pays to be the one who owns the building you live in,” Sabrina quipped as she pushed herself out of Audrey’s chair and stood up. The pale pink suit reflected an innocence and grace that was a stark contrast to the bitch streak she was currently displaying.

“I’m sorry that I’m in late,” Audrey started to speak, but Sabrina held up her hand to indicate that she stop talking.

“I don’t want to discuss your late night drinking with Chris. But by God, we will address what you said to me and how inappropriate it was and the fact you said it front of him,” Sabrina’s eyes were alight, she was definitely angry and had no intention of letting up because Audrey had a hangover.

“I don’t remember what I said to you Sabrina, I swear, I had quite a bit to drink, and after you left, Chris and I drank quite a bit more.”

Sabrina took a few steps away from Audrey, placing her hands on her hips, she spun back around, “So you don’t remember asking me, in a restaurant full of people, including the Mayor, with whom I just had a conversation, if I was ready to go fuck Chris?” She waited for Audrey’s response and then continued, “And you don’t remember saying you saw the foreplay and wondered if we were ready to fuck?”

Audrey cringed and hung her head, letting out an audible sigh, “Shit, no Sabrina, I don’t. Damn,” Audrey had walked around her desk and lowered herself into her chair. This could be the beginning of the end for her relationship with Sabrina, both personally and professionally.

“Damn is right, luckily, your voice wasn’t very loud, and I don’t think anyone heard you, other than me of course. I’m not really sure if Chris heard you. I guess since the two of you continued to drink all night, he didn’t hear it or didn’t care.”

“I’m sorry, you know I would never do anything to hurt or embarrass you in public. We’ve been friends for years and have worked together just as long; I respect you and know how much your name and reputation mean. I’m really sorry, Sabrina.” Audrey was genuine, she was sorry and wished she could take it back. She was sure it was meant as a joke but probably didn’t come out that way, depending on how much she had already had to drink.

“I’ll tell you right now, Audrey, if there is any backlash at all, you’re done. If there is even a hint that anyone heard one word of what you said, and it is repeated and ends up on social media or in the paper, you’re out, and our friendship is over. You got that?”

Audrey kept her eyes closed and shook her head, “Yeah, I understand. I feel horrible, Sabrina, I mean it.” This was more painful than she wanted to admit and it was a good thing she still had the sunglasses on because it was able to hide the pain of having her best friend yell at her. She had seen Sabrina angry before, but this went beyond anything she had ever seen in the past. This was more like anger, hurt, and betrayal all wrapped into one.

Sabrina nodded to at least acknowledge that Audrey had apologized and that she understood the severity of the situation. However, she wasn’t going to continue to berate her and beat the proverbial dead horse, “Did you two stay at the Signature Room all night?”

“No,” Audrey kept her head down, “We left about twenty minutes after you did and ended up The Terrace at the Trump for drinks and hung out there until midnight when they closed.”

Audrey walked over and took a seat on the couch, sitting at an angle so she could easily see Audrey at her desk. “The Trump? Good grief, why there?”

“He is staying there, not his choice, by the way, that is where the wedding is, and where his buddy had the rooms set up.”

“Wait, you only drank until midnight, yet you are this hung over? What in the hell were you drinking? I thought you had wine at the Signature Room?”

“No, Chris bought a bottle from the bar, and we went to his room and drank some more; I went home around 2 am. We started drinking vodka when we got to The Terrace, and that is what we took to his room.”

“Vodka is your poison, Audrey and you know better. So let me ask, is there something going on between the two of you? Is that why you were so, shall I say, snarky, when you asked if I was going to get it on with him?”

Audrey let out a laugh, “No! That is an emphatic no, by the way. Nothing is going on between the two of us, but there did appear to be real chemistry between the two of you.”

“Why isn’t anything going on between the two of you? You’re expecting me to believe that you’ve been good friends with him for more than a year, and you haven’t slept with him?”

“That’s the truth, Sabrina, I swear. A man and a woman can be friends without sleeping together and besides I don’t have that type of chemistry with him but after last night, I am fairly confident that you do.”

“What? No, the guy is just a flirt, that’s all.”

“Oh, I know he’s a flirt, believe me. Flirting, I can do, but there was a whole different level of flirting with the two of you. I could tell you were enjoying it, and I know he was, maybe you need to act on it.”

“What? No, absolutely not,” Sabrina was horrified at the suggestion, “I can’t believe you would even suggest it.”

“Oh come on, It’s been what, ten years since your divorce? I think it’s about time you got back in the saddle,” Audrey chided.

“I’ve been in the saddle since my divorce, Audrey; I’ve just been very discreet about it. Besides, this guy is a friend of yours, and now you’re trying to pimp him off on me? No, he seems like a good guy, and I will not deny that he is very attractive, but the answer is no.”

“Oh my goodness, you’re scared,” Audrey announced, she could tell by the way Sabrina was answering the questions and fidgeting in her seat. This had nothing to do with Chris, it had everything to do with Sabrina’s own headspace. “Why don’t you give it a chance? He’s going to leave after the wedding, and you wouldn’t have to see him again. But at least let him rock your world while he is here.”

“I am not using your friend as a fuck toy while he’s in town, and I’m fairly sure he wouldn’t appreciate it if he knew you were trying to set him up.”

“Boy, you are a high and mighty one aren’t you?” There was a hint of venom in Audrey’s voice as she spat the words out at her friend. “Just so you know, Chris is a great guy, he really is. Very charming and very charitable; he is a lot more than the gorgeous face you see. He is also smart and philosophical; two things you wouldn’t expect from him, I’m sure. And all of those are things you didn’t pick up on him last night; ok, well maybe the charming part you did.”

“I picked up that he is charming and smart and more than a beautiful face, Audrey. I’m not ignorant of the fact that there are levels of a person that go beyond what you see on the outside.”

“Fine, so you picked up that there is more to him, you should give him a chance, that’s all I’m saying. Maybe be friends with him at least, I think there is an interest on his side.”

Sabrina stood up and smoothed her skirt and then started to walk towards the door, just before opening it, she stopped but did not turn to face Audrey. “Honestly, I think I might be scared to be friends with him.”

“Why would you be afraid to be friends with him? That makes absolutely no sense.”

“When I walked him to the window and asked him to pick a building that was better stacked than the Hancock building, do you know which building he chose?” She paused, giving Audrey a moment to answer, “He chose Aqua because he said it reminded him of a woman, beautiful, elegant, and well stacked,” a smile crossed her lips as she repeated his words and remembered the feel of his touch when he was holding her in place.

“Oh dear God, are you serious? Sabrina, I never told him that was your building. Hell, he didn’t even know your last name when I said you were joining us. He had no idea who you were.”

“I know that, Audrey because I had to tell him after the Mayor stopped by to say hello. I never said that Aqua was my building, or that I live there,” she took a minute to collect her thoughts and to craft the words that she was about to speak. “I’m scared that I might fall for him, Audrey. He is the kind of guy who could be dangerous for me, and I could find myself getting lost in him. And I think he is the kind of guy who might break my heart, and I’m not sure I can survive that again.”

Sabrina opened the door and walked through it without another word. She put her head up and maintained her fierce façade so that the staff in the office would not see that she just spent a few moments being vulnerable with her best friend. Sabrina Burnham was not vulnerable, and she was not weak; at least not in the face of the people who worked for her or in the face of those that she was willing to crush to get her buildings built.

Audrey removed her sunglasses and set them on her desk. She was no longer struggling to stay awake and frankly the little bomb that Sabrina had just dropped was enough to wipe away any lingering hangover effects. Audrey had known Sabrina for almost twenty years, they had met their Freshman year in college, and it was fair to say that they had been on one roller coaster ride after another. While they were in school, Sabrina met a guy, Audrey had liked him, thinking he was a good fit for her friend. His name was Kyle Champman, he was also an architectural student. He recognized her last name immediately, how could he not when her great-grandfather was the subject in some of their classes? Kyle never saw it as an issue in their relationship, that was until Sabrina became successful and he didn’t.

Sabrina’s talent took her far, and Kyle always attributed it to her last name; she never took her married name, that was always a point of contention for him. If she did intend to make it on her own, she should come out from underneath the Burnham name he would tell her. Sabrina argued that she was proud of who she was and who she was related to, and she was not going to turn her back on her family. What Kyle didn’t realize was that she submitted designs and renderings under SPB, her initials. Her last name would never be revealed until her design was selected and they needed to sign the contracts. Her rise to prominence in the Chicago architectural and design world was not overnight, and it was hard work, but she surpassed him, and that did not settle well. It was the downfall of their marriage, he did not like having a wife who was more successful than he was. It all started with passive aggressive behavior and comments but steadily escalated. She kept thinking she would be able to fix it or work through it; but when he hit her, she walked out and immediately filed for divorce. He hit here where the marks were easily covered up and they would heal; but the scars, they don’t heal so easily. She didn’t file charges; she knew that she should have filed domestic abuse charges and taken him to court, but she didn’t want her name attached to that kind of case. It would follow her around for the rest of her life and she didn’t want that stigma attached to her while she was trying to establish her career.

The divorce was bitter; Kyle wanted his portion of the Burnham legacy and he would have no problem making things up to ruin Sabrina’s reputation if it would mean he would get it. She wanted to get it settled quietly, in the end, she agreed to pay Kyle off. He took her money and moved out of Chicago, he didn’t want to be in her shadow.

In the years since the divorce, Sabrina had not maintained a long-term relationship for fear of what it could lead to. She did date one guy for a little more than two months, but when he wanted to date exclusively and get serious, she ended the relationship and moved on. Trust, it was a big problem for her now, and while she knew that not every man was like Kyle, she was not willing to risk her well-being to find out. No, it was better to have flings and flirtations.

~

Audrey fired up her laptop, deciding to dive in and get started on the projects at hand. Work would keep her distracted, and it did. When she finally looked up, it was almost 2 pm. She stared at the phone for a few minutes, thinking it would be safe to call Chris by now, he should be awake. She knew the horrors of waking that man up, she had done it before, and it was not good.

She took her cell phone out of her purse and hit his contact information, after three rings, he finally picked up. “Hey, Audrey how are you?” His voice was chipper, no signs of a hangover. Obviously, he had gotten plenty of sleep.

“Not nearly as good as you seem to be,” she admitted because while her eyes had adjusted to the light, the headache was still raging. She had popped a handful of ibuprofen and drank quite a bit of coffee, but the little man with the hammer in her head would not go away. “Hey, do you have a few minutes to talk? I don’t know what you have planned today, so I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“No, you’re good, I’ve got an early dinner with Chuck, that’s the friend getting married. But other than that, I’m free all day. What’s going on?”

“Any chance you might want to swing by my place later tonight? I thought maybe we could talk, I feel like I need to mend fences for last night.”

“You don’t need to mend any fences, Audrey, I promise we’re good.”

“Yeah, well I don’t feel that way, Chris. I feel like I messed up with Sabrina, and I messed up with you.

“What did you mess up with Sabrina?” She noticed the drop in his voice when he asked the question if she wasn’t mistaken it sounded an awful lot like concern.

“Did you hear what I said to her last night, the comment that made her angry and got her to leave?”

“No, I was walking over to the table and saw you two talking and could see she was agitated but didn’t hear anything. Well, that was until you called me a boy toy,” he laughed.

“Yeah, well I said something that was out of line. Anyway, how about coming over around 8? I’ll have to work late, and that will give me time to get home and change. You know where I live, right?”

“Yeah, I have the address, I’ll see you at 8.”

Audrey hung up the phone and continued to work on a few projects until she received the call from Sabrina asking her to come down to the conference room. She gathered up her things, took a deep breath and made the walk down the hall to the conference room next to Sabrina’s office.

Sabrina was alone, but the speaker phone was engaged, and she was in the middle of a call. It only took Audrey a moment to realize she was on the phone with Brent Iber, the attorney for the Hawaiian developer. He was more level headed than his boss, meaning that he would most likely not hang up on her but depending on what he had to say, there was always the chance the roles could be reversed today.

“Brent, I want to let you know that Audrey Clarke, the firm’s general counsel has joined us. Audrey, I’m talking to Brent Iber out in Hawaii about the development deal, and we are trying to iron out a few details to keep this deal from going bust.”

“Hello, Mr. Iber, it is nice to finally speak with you,” Audrey offered in the hopes of breaking the ice and any potential tension, “I hope I’m not coming in at an inopportune moment, I was wrapping up another deal.” Audrey knew that Sabrina always likes when she provided that type of response for coming in late to a meeting as it let it be known they have a lot of projects in the works and that all of their livelihood did not rest on this one deal.

“Hello, it is nice to speak with you as well. Sabrina tells me that you two spoke last evening and have a suggestion that you think could sweeten the deal to get this finalized?”

Audrey was shocked that Sabrina would allow someone else to present her idea, but she was giving the nod of approval so she moved ahead. The call lasted for more than an hour and by the end, a verbal agreement had been reached to move forward. The revised contract was already emailed out to Brent for review and presentation. Provided the developer didn’t balk at the idea of the club and the extension of the building, the groundbreaking could be within the next six months.

The call was disconnected, and Sabrina let out an exasperated sigh, “Thank God! I was afraid this deal would never get done. Thanks for shaping that message and pitching the idea, I think coming from someone other than me is what sealed it.”

“But it was your idea, not mine.”

“Right, but they’ve been talking to me for weeks, and I think they are tired of listening to me and my ideas. They believe that I’m just worried about getting the building built, and I am. So they wouldn’t listen to any idea that I would come up. So, if I had you deliver the message, it is fresh and new, and they listen.”

“In other words, you used me to get what you wanted?” Audrey tried to sound angry but in all honesty, she was not surprised by the tactic.

“Audrey, we’ve been friends for years, and you should know by now that I always get what I want – and right now, I want this building in Hawaii!

~

By the time, the call with Iber ended, and she wrapped up with Sabrina, it was almost 7:15. Audrey rushed back to her office to grab her things and bolt home. By the time she reached the security desk and gave them the details about Chris so they could let him up and then got into her apartment, she had five minutes to change her clothes before he would be arriving. And of course, he was on time!

She was pulling on her t-shirt and smoothing it down when she opened the door and saw him standing there with a pizza box in his hand, “I am going to take a stab that you got out of the office late and didn’t eat yet, so I brought you dinner.”

She grabbed the box out of his hands, put it on the sideboard by the door and then wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him the best hug she could muster. “Dude, I’ve had no food all day, and I’m starving. And your assumption is correct, I literally just changed my clothes.”

“Yeah, well you need to change your t-shirt,” he said as he pulled out of her embrace, “You were in such a rush, you have it on backward and inside out,” he was starting to laugh as he walked in the door. He picked up the pizza box and walked toward the dining room as Audrey pulled off her shirt and flipped it over and around. “Good thing you are modest and I’m not worried about seeing your bra or your boobs!”

“Shut up!” She snarked back at him, “You want a beer? I have the fridge stocked plus I have a liquor cabinet full of whatever.” She noticed that he had walked over to the large windows of her living room that overlooked the city and the riverfront. “You like the view? I had to have a condo in this building when it went up, this is my favorite one that we’ve done.”

Chris spun back around, “Wait, what? Is this a Sabrina Burnham building?”

Audrey smiled, “Oh you know the name do you? Yes, it’s one of the earlier buildings she designed, and she wasn’t well liked for the design. People thought it was crazy and too innovative for the city, and now it is one of the landmarks that people pick out in the skyline. There is even a matching building for it.”

“Did you really call me over here to talk about her?”

“Yeah, I did. Seriously, you want a beer?” Audrey asked as she walked into the kitchen and towards the fridge. Chris nodded so she grabbed one for each of them and met him at the dining room table. He had opened the pizza box and had already helped himself to a slice. “Last night, you two looked like you got a little cozy. You wanna tell me about it?”

“Huh? I thought you were going to tell me what you said to her? I didn’t realize you wanted me to spill the beans.”

“Oh come on, you two looked pretty damn intense over at the window. And I may, or may not be, a little a jealous of the way you were holding her. Damn, that was kinda hot.” Chris took a swig from the beer bottle and was trying to keep the blush from creeping into his cheeks. Audrey was not going to let this go, and because they were friends, he knew he couldn’t keep it from her for very long. “Chris, seriously, I already know you got a hard on when she walked in the bar, it’s not a leap for me to think you might be interested in her.”

“I can’t talk to you about it, you’re her best friend.”

“I’ve never told her a thing about you or the fact that we’re friends. She had no clue until last night, I don’t break trust, and you know it, so she would never know what you are telling me. I just have a duty to make sure both of you don’t get hurt, that’s all.”

“What, you’re worried about me hurting her?”

“No, actually it’s the other way around. I’m more concerned that she’ll end up hurting you,” Audrey stated with a matter of fact tone. “You’re intrigued, aren’t you?”

This time, he didn’t bother to hide his smile, “Fuck yeah, I am. She’s amazing, Aud, the way she carries herself and has this steely bitch persona. It’s a turn on, and that normally does nothing for me; I like the self-deprecating women who are willing to go out with their hair in a ponytail and sweatpants. But, there is something about her, she is powerful, but it seems like there is a little more to her just under the surface, I can’t explain it, I really can’t.”

“I think there might be interest on her part, too. She hasn’t said anything to me, I need to be clear on that,” Audrey took a drink and gingerly set her bottle back on the table. “You’re going to get mad at me, so get ready. When you two were playing verbal tennis, the sexual tension was very real between the two of you. When she took you to the window, it went up a few notches more,” she took another drink because she was getting nervous. “I asked her if all of that was foreplay and if she was ready to take you home and fuck you.”

Chris’ eyebrows went up, and he began to shake his head, “You said that to her in a crowded restaurant? Holy shit, Audrey!”

She had to admit, the fact that his reaction was more that she said it in a crowded restaurant and not that she said it at all was a little surprising. “Yeah, well I didn’t say it very loud because you didn’t hear it, you only heard my reaction to her reaction which was calling you a boy toy.”

“Wait, what did she say?”

“She told me not to worry she wasn’t stealing my boy toy. When I snapped back at her that you weren’t my boy toy, that is when you walked up.”

“I wondered where that was coming from, but I was so stunned when she walked out of the bar that I didn’t think to ask you about it.”

“Yeah, well she was angry, and she confronted me about it this morning. She was actually sitting in my office waiting for me,” Audrey took another drink which actually finished off the bottle. “Of course, this morning I was late because of drinking all night with you, so that didn’t help her mood any.”

“How bad was it?” He asked, cringing at the thought.

“Let’s just say that if anyone in the restaurant did hear what I said to her and it gets out or is discussed in social media or the paper, well, I’ll be looking for a new job.”

“Ouch! She really is angry; I don’t think what you said was that horrible. Okay, maybe a little crass to say to your boss but to your best friend who was just flirting and getting handsy with a guy, it wasn’t so bad.”

“She likes you, which is why she’s mad. She questioned me this morning as to why you and I have been friends for a year and I’m not sleeping with you,” at this comment, Chris choked on his beer and started into a coughing fit. Audrey was laughing, and it took a minute to pull herself together, “Sorry, are you okay?”

“Yeah, fine, thanks. You two pull no punches when you talk to one another. You’re worse than two guys talking to one another.”

“You’re in town for a few days, if you want to see if you can get somewhere with her, I have an idea. I also have connections that can make it happen, all you have to do is say the word.”

“Okay, word!”


	3. Chapter 3

Sabrina was in the office early, as usual. She was feeling pretty good now that the nonsense with the Hawaiian build was behind her. She had received a late email from Brent Iber that indicated the contract review with the developer had gone well, and he had no changes; the document would be signed and finalized and sent back today. She was going through the project boards on her desk and determining the next priority project. The problem was, her brain was stuck on two nights ago and the interaction with Chris at the Signature Room. There was something about him that she couldn’t get out of her head. Her confrontation with Audrey, well it was about the fact that the comment was made in a packed restaurant, and anyone could have heard her. But there was a bit of herself that was angry that she wasn’t taking him home, it had been a while since she had brought a man home. Heck, it had been a while she since she had wanted to take a man home; work had been so crazy, and her schedule had her thinking of nothing but work. The concept of physical touch or sexual release was the furthest thing from her mind. But Chris, he unleashed something in her, and it was more than the fact that he was a good-looking man.

No, he was smart, charming, flirty, and most of all, he did not appear to be intimidated by her. She knows how to carry herself and she doesn’t cower to anyone, somehow he disarmed her with ease and never flinched when she told him she was a successful architect. He didn’t even seem phased when the Mayor came by for a chat; who was this guy? Okay, so he was an actor, but she didn’t know who he was. She fired up her laptop and decided to do a little research by doing an internet search for Chris Evans. She was stunned when the results pulled up. She was scrolling through the images and the listing of his movies when Audrey waltzed in.

“Good morning, boss. Are you ready for our meeting?” When Sabrina didn’t answer, she stood there for a moment and marveled at how intent she was over whatever was on her computer screen. Finally, she cleared her throat, “Sabrina!”

At the loud sound of her name, Sabrina jumped and looked up at Audrey, almost as if she was a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She quickly slammed the top of her laptop down, “Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in. What’s going on?”

“We have a meeting, did you forget about it? What were you looking at, because it completely had your attention?”

“I just lost track of time that’s all. Um, before I bring up the next project. I didn’t know that Chris was Captain America.”

“Oh! You were looking up Chris? So, are you going to admit to me that you might be interested in him?”

“I don’t know that I’d go that far,” her voice trailed off.

“It’s still the fact that he picked your building isn’t it? That totally turned you on,” Audrey started laughing, “Wow, who would have thought that potentially the way into your panties is to tell you that they love your building without even realizing it is yours.”

Sabrina was beginning to blush, something Audrey had not seen happen in, well, in years. “Well, at least I know he has great taste,” she finally said, even it was a little pompous and self-aggrandizing, “Fine, yeah, I kinda like him. Fuck, Audrey why did you have to introduce me to him?”

Audrey could not contain herself, this was momentous, “Oh girl, I had no idea you would fall for him. I figured it’d be good for you to meet him since we’re friends, that’s all. I swear this wasn’t about a hookup.”

“Well, it isn’t like I’m saying I’m going to marry him or anything; I’m not even in love with him. I’m only saying that I think he is attractive, and I might be interested in him. I wouldn’t mind an opportunity to see him, just the two of us.”

“What about your dating rule?”

“What about it? I told you, I’m not saying I want to marry him, I spent a short amount of time with him the other night, and I’d like an opportunity to maybe spend some time with him again, that’s all. I’m going to regret saying anything to you.”

“What if you find that you really like him?”

“Audrey, quit pushing! I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it if I get to it. There is no reason to think he will call me unless you plan on running to your office and dialing him up and telling him to ask me out.”

“Nope, not going to do that, I don’t want to get involved in any mess you might create,” although she knew she was already in the middle of it. “Shall we get down to business?”  
Audrey had brought the conversation back to business and Sabrina was actually relieved. They began to discuss the next items for business and were deep into contracts when Alice gently knocked on the door, “Pardon the interruption ma’am, but there is a gentleman here who would like to see you. He does not have an appointment, but he said that you are an acquaintance, his name is Mr. Evans.”

Sabrina’s eyes went wide and darted over to Audrey, “Don’t look at me Sabrina, I had nothing to do with this.”

“Um, send him in Alice, that is fine,” She stood up and straightened her skirt and fussed with her hair, knowing she must look like a teenager trying to get ready for the most popular boy in school to walk past.

“You look fantastic, quit fidgeting,” Audrey offered.

Chris walked in the door, he was wearing jeans and a button up plaid shirt, sleeves rolled up, and the top buttons were undone. His trademark sunglasses were tucked into the top of his shirt, pointing out that he was not wearing a t-shirt or tank top and drawing her attention to the fact that his clavicle tattoo was peeking out. His shirt was tucked in, and he looked stunning, she was almost at a loss for words, which worked out perfectly, he decided to speak first. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your meeting,” he turned back toward the door, “I can leave and come back.”

In unison, Sabrina and Audrey said, “No!”

Audrey stood up, “No, it’s fine we were finished and just chatting. I’ll catch up with you later, Sabrina,” she started walking towards the door and before leaving she turned back to Chris, “When is the wedding you are going to?”

“Saturday, why?”

“Just trying to determine how much longer you are in town. Seeing if maybe we can get together again before you leave.”

“I’ll give you a call,” he offered and then turned to look at Sabrina. “I’m sorry for just dropping in on you, but I didn’t have your phone number.”

“And you didn’t think to ask Audrey for it?”

“Well, I didn’t want her to know I was going to call you. Little did I know I would stop by your office, and she would be in here,” he said sheepishly as if he was embarrassed. “Is there any chance you might be able to take some time off this afternoon?”

“I don’t know, I’m kind of busy, what exactly did you have in mind?” She didn’t want to sound eager so she had to make it seem like it would be a big deal to call off work and leave with him. When in reality, she was ready to go the minute he asked.

“Well, I made arrangements to get a private architectural boat ride; didn’t want to have to do one with tourists. So, I made a donation and got a boat to myself and thought that since you are obviously an expert, you could maybe fill in the details or blanks where the docents might be lost.”

“You want me to take an architectural boat ride with you? Just the two of us?”

“Wow, you are able to listen to details? Well, color me impressed. I have a picnic lunch scheduled, and I will be eating a lot of food by myself if you don’t join me.”

She hit the button on her phone to buzz Alice, when she answered, Sabrina picked up the phone, “What is on my calendar for the remainder of the day?” She listened intently, nodding and then answered, “Clear it all, I’m going to be departing with Mr. Evans and will not be back this afternoon.” As she hung up the phone, she noticed that Chris had a grin on his face and it practically lit up the room, “What? Fine, I’ll go on your little boat ride with you, I’d hate for you to have to eat a large picnic lunch all by yourself.”

“Are you going to wear that? Don’t get me wrong, you are stunning in a power suit and heels but wouldn’t you be more comfortable if you changed?”

“Well, you might be right. Can you give me a few minutes?” Chris watched as she sauntered into the bathroom that was adjacent to her office and when she emerged a few moments later, she had indeed, changed clothes. Now wearing tan jeans with a navy blue sleeveless shirt with tan polka dots and a light cardigan; she also had changed from her heels into more reasonable ballet flats. The outfit on most women would probably look casual, but Sabrina still looked like she was a powered woman attempting to go casual; he knew it had to do with the way she carried herself. “I keep clothes in the office, just in case. Does this seem more fitting for the boat trip?”

He couldn’t speak at first, just nodding his head in agreement. “Um… yeah, okay, so I think we need to get going. The boat should be ready for us about the time we get there,” he held out his hand to her, hoping she would take it. He wanted to put his arm around her but would settle for hand holding right now. Her touch sent electricity through is body, he knew this was going to be bad.

The walk to the boat ramp was short, and they were, indeed, ready for them when they arrived. Sabrina knew how much the private boat tour cost so she was surprised that he was doing this. “Are you really that much of a fan of architecture?”

“Actually, I am because I am a little bit of a nerd if you must know. But, I have to admit, this was also a good way for me to be able to steal you away from the office. Figuring you wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to listen to a topic that is close to your heart. Plus, if you are on a boat with me, you can’t run away.” Sabrina let out a light laugh at this comment, and Chris felt relieved that she could take some good natured ribbing.

The two of them walked up the ramp and stepped onto the boat where they were greeted by the Captain. They were then introduced to their Architectural Society docent, Millie. Millie looked to be in her early twenties, which caught Sabrina off-guard. Usually, the volunteers she had seen on the boat tours were older men and women who had been on the architectural scene for many years. She was a sweet young woman, and they introduced themselves to her using only their first names. Chris noticed that she was staring at him rather intently, but she never said anything. He figured she must recognize him but was afraid to say anything, maybe she would warm up by the end of the trip. The boat was the Lady Grebe, a small private boat that could only accommodate up to six passengers and was designed for private tours. Chris and Sabrina took their seat along the back of the vessel on a wicker loveseat, providing them a beautiful view of the river and intimate seating.

Chris put his arm around Sabrina and pulled her towards him, he leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Are you going to set her straight if she gets anything wrong?”

She shook her head, “No, that would be rude; but I will interrupt her if she says anything disparaging about my family. Besides, she is so young, I don’t want to crush her spirit or hurt her feelings.”

While they were waiting to get started, Chris figured he would strike up a general conversation with Millie to see if he could warm her up a little. “So, Millie, how long have you been doing these tours?”

“I just started, this is probably my fifth or sixth one. I’m a student at UIC, and I decided this would be a unique way to put my love of architecture and design to work while I am in school. I’ve taken this tour so many times that it only seemed right to actually give it.”

“Well, we look forward to it, and we promise to be attentive.”

The boat started up, and the Captain prepared to push off. Millie began her presentation, talking about the birth of the city of Chicago and the importance of the river and trade. As the boat began it’s journey down the river, Millie started to talk about the city’s architect, Sabrina’s great grandfather, Daniel Burnham. She pointed out the Wrigley Building and discussed his influence on the city during his lifetime and how that plays out today through the work of his great-granddaughter, Sabrina Burnham.

Millie explained that Sabrina had been responsible for the rebirth of the modern skyscrapers and the unique designs that have been incorporated into the skyline. She has a vision, like her great-grandfather, for what the city can be and how to innovate through aesthetics and design. Millie told them she would point out Sabrina’s buildings throughout the tour, although they should be easy to spot as they do stand out and that was a positive. Chris glanced over at her and noticed that she was blushing and keeping her head down, she seemed truly humbled at what Millie was saying.

“Are you alright?” He asked quietly.

She nodded, “I guess I didn’t realize what they said about my family or me on this tour. I’m embarrassed to know that every cruise, day after day says the same thing; it’s just an odd feeling.” Chris squeezed her a little tighter, he saw a softer side to her, and he figured she didn’t show that very often.

A short time into the trip, they unpacked their picnic lunch and the bottle of wine. They snacked and even shared their food with Millie, trying to be polite as they were afraid it was rude to eat in front of her. Millie chatted with them about the different buildings and architectural styles that ran throughout the city; providing anecdotal stories to go with the buildings and who built them. They were at the end of the river, near Navy Pier and looking at the skyline and taking in the beauty of the city.

“You do have a beautiful city,” Chris remarked.

In unison, Millie and Sabrina both said: “Yes, we do!”

“Hey, Millie, I have a question,” Chris started off, “Can you tell me about a particular building? I was having a bit of a discussion with this beautiful woman a few nights ago and told her that I really liked an individual building.”

“Sure, which building is that?”

“I think it is called Aqua?”

“Oh yes! You do have a keen eye. That building is unique because of it’s mixed use and the use of the concrete and limestone to offer unique balconies and overhangs. From the sides, the building offers a unique design that compliments the surroundings. There is a rooftop pool and running track as well. It is the first building in the city that provided office space, a hotel, apartments, condos and penthouses all in one location.”

“Wow, it is definitely unique then and quite beautiful. So, who was the designer on that?”

“It is a Sabrina Burnham building, it is probably her most famous building actually. Although, there is talk that she will be building a grand building in that empty lot over there where the defunct Spire project was supposed to go. And from what I have heard, the Mayor loves the design and if it gets built, well, that might be the most famous building this city has ever seen.”

“So, in other words, this woman is a pretty big deal around here?” When he asked this question, she swiftly elbowed him in the side.

“Oh, yes, a huge deal. She is actually one of the reasons I got into architecture and design.”

Sabrina set up straight, “Really? Why is that?”

“Well, she is a successful woman in a field that is dominated by men. She has proven that a woman can do this job and be successful, and that is a fantastic role model for young girls. I’ll be honest, I’ve never seen her or met her, but I hear she is wonderful. Very bright and charming but you want to stay on her good side, she is definitely a shark in business. She does not let anyone walk over her, and she usually gets what she wants. She is very philanthropic, too. She abides by her great-grandfather’s mission to serve although it is my understanding she tries to keep that quiet.”

The boat pulled into the dock, and they were given the all clear to get up and disembark. As they were leaving, Chris thanked Millie for the enjoyable cruise and all of the information she provided. As he stepped off, Chris reached back for Sabrina’s hand to help her off the boat and to guide her down the walkway. Sabrina got about ten steps away when she turned around and walked back up the walkway and approached Millie.

“Millie, I should have done this before I got off the boat the first time, I didn’t formally introduce myself.”

“Oh you did, you told me your name was Sabrina when you got on the boat. I remembered thinking to myself how much I like the name, and I immediately thought of Ms. Burnham.”

“Yeah, well the thing is,” she extended her hand, “I am Sabrina Burnham and I was on this tour because my friend, Chris, well he wanted to take the tour and he dragged me out of my office.” Millie shook her hand, and you could see, in her eyes, the fear and excitement mixed together. “You did an excellent job on the tour and thank you for the things you said. I’m humbled to think that you are pursuing your dream because of me. I wish you all the luck in the world and call my office and set up an appointment for me to see your work. I’d love to see it and potentially provide some mentoring if you would like.”

Chris watched the interaction between Millie and Sabrina; he couldn’t hear what was being said, but he had a relatively good idea. He watched as she stepped back off the boat and he could not wipe the smile off his face. “You introduced yourself to her, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I did. She was a little shocked. Is that how kids react when they realize you’re Captain America?”

“Something like that,” he said laughing. He reached down and took her hand, and they began to walk along the river.

“I guess that you were a little embarrassed though with all the things she said?”

She turned and looked at him, “Just a little, I should be used to people saying things about me in my presence, I’ve received awards and accolades before.” She heard him scoff at these words, “I’m not being conceited or arrogant, Chris. I can’t help it that I’ve been successful, and I’ve heard these things. The difference is I hear them from people who are blowing smoke up my skirt and who want something from me; I never take it seriously and figure most of it is just to try and inflate my ego.”

“And it works, right? I mean you do feel pretty confident about yourself, I can see it in the way you carry yourself.”

She stopped walking and let go of his hand, “What? So I guess you think I’m a conceited bitch then?”

“No, oh hell, no I didn’t mean it like that,” he suddenly began fumbling over his words.

“Look, I am confident about my abilities not because I have someone at an award presentation tell me I’m great. I’m confident when my design gets picked, and my building gets built, and people are drawn to them. Not because a room full of crusty men decide it’d be good to put a girl in a skirt up on stage and tell her she’s fantastic for a change.”

Chris ran his hand through his hair, “Oh wow, I really didn’t mean it like that, I swear I didn’t. I just meant that you carry yourself like you know you are good at what you do, and you wear your success well.”

“Oh,” she said, dropping her head and shaking it from side to side, “I guess I am a little sensitive. Sorry about that.”

He took a step forward so he was back in front of her and reached for her hand, “It’s okay, it happens, and I can only imagine how hard it must sometimes be. No, I’m not trying to be condescending. Let’s keep walking, shall we?”

“Sure, how about I walk you over to the Tribune building? It is across the street from the Wrigley and placed on the sides you will find 150 pieces of buildings and structures from around the world. It is a neat little slice of the world, right here in Chicago.”

The two of them walked up the grand staircases from the river walkway up to the street level and then across the bridge to Michigan Avenue. They came to the Wrigley Building first as it sat on the river, Chris was impressed with the grandeur of the building. He stood there staring up at it for a few moments with no words being spoken.

Finally, Sabrina broke the ice, “Would you like my dime store tour information?” He didn’t say anything, just nodded his head. “Okay, so these buildings were started in 1920, and it took four years for them to build. They are made out of glazed terra cotta, and that is why they are so white. From time to time the entire building is washed by hand to preserve it.”

“Wow, hand washing? Would really hate to have that job.”

“This is the first office building in Chicago that had air conditioning. And the South Tower, which is taller than the North Tower, has a clock on each side. The clock face is 19 ft and 7 inches in diameter.”

“The building is gorgeous, it’s unbelievable to think that chewing gum built this, you know.”

Sabrina smiled and began walking him down the block toward Tribune Tower. “Ok, so the original Tribune building was destroyed by the great fire and in 1922 a contest was held to come up with a design for a new building. The winning design would receive $50,000 as the grand prize. There ended up being 260 entries submitted and the winning design was from two architects from New York named Howells and Hood.”

“New Yorkers built the quintessential Chicago newspaper building? That’s an interesting piece of trivia.”

“Well, here’s a better piece of trivia for you. The Tribune owns a television station, when they were trying to come up with the call letters they decided it should relate it back to the fact that they were the world’s greatest newspaper. Thus, the TV station was called WGN.”

“Oh you are making that up, that is not why it’s called WGN.”

“Google is your friend my dear, look it up! The building was started in 1923 and finished in 1925. We can walk around and see fragments from historical buildings and locations around the world that are put into the foundation.”

As they crossed the street and approached the building, Chris realized she was telling the truth. He saw a piece of the TajMahal, and as he walked around the corner, he saw a piece of the Parthenon in Greece. He had to admit, having an architect as a tour guide could really come in handy from time to time. He had not let go of her hand since he had recaptured it after their little argument on the river walk. It felt natural to have her hand in his and honestly, he wished he had the guts to put his arm around her waist and pull her to him. He was positive she had no idea as to the effect she had on him.

The ended up walking around the building and looking at the relics for a few minutes before continuing to stroll down Michigan Ave. They walked hand in hand, no words were spoken for at least a block when Chris decided to venture into the family waters. “I know who your great-grandfather was, thanks to Millie and the tour. But why don’t you tell me about you and your immediate family? Were you born here in Chicago?”

“Yes, born and raised. I went to college here, I’ve never lived anywhere else, and I don’t want to. I’ve traveled for work, gone to incredible cities here in the US and abroad, but I always come home to Chicago.”

“You said your father was an architect, was your mom?”

“When did I tell you my father was an architect?”

“When we had drinks the other night at the Hancock, you told me you were an architect like your father and grandfather. So, I guess it runs in the family?”

“Wow, so you were actually listening to me the other night? Yeah, it runs in the family, but I am the first woman to take the mantle and run with it. See, my dad had several brothers and they all had multiple children, boys, and girls. Same up the line in the family tree. But my mom and dad only had one child, and they got stuck with a girl. Mom almost died in childbirth, and they told my parents not to have any more kids, so they got stuck with a girl and no boys.”

“I’m sure they didn’t see it as being stuck with a girl. I’m sure you were a precious little thing,” he reached over with is free hand and pinched her cheek as they walked, making her smile.

“Well, dad was disappointed at first, but he got over it I guess. The family business began to die down, and the boys in the family began to branch out and go in other directions. I loved to design and draw and build, it was a passion for me from a young age. When the men in the family turned their back on the family business, I stood up and said I wanted to be a part of it.”

“I take it they didn’t care for it? Did your own family ridicule you?”

“Oh yeah, they thought I should do more womanly pursuits, like cooking and cleaning. Instead, I went to design school and never took no for an answer. I don’t know if you’ve figured this out yet or not, but I am fiercely independent.”

Chris put his hand to his chest as if in shock, “What? You’re kidding, I would have never guessed,” he began to laugh. “I think that is why I like you, you are definitely spirited.”

“Yeah, that is a polite way to put it. I just started standing up for myself and not backing down when I was told ‘no.’ My mother wanted me to turn and run, and my father was afraid I would get hurt but he encouraged me to fight. So, I did.”

“I’m sure they are very proud of you.”

“Mom died about ten years ago. She had lung cancer, it was awful, and I don’t wish that on anyone. Dad had a hard time dealing with it, they had been married for almost fifty years so he didn’t know what to do with himself when she was gone.” Sabrina was somber, and again, he didn’t intend for her to be this way but he was not going to apologize for seeing a softer side to this incredibly complicated woman. “Three years ago, dad and I were out shopping. He told me he didn’t feel good and wanted to know if we could go home. I said sure, and when I put my stuff down and turned around, he had collapsed. He had a massive heart attack and died instantly. I haven’t been able to go to the Farmer’s Market since.”

“Oh, Sabrina, I am so sorry. But they both got to see your career take off, right? I mean they saw how successful you had become and what you had achieved?”

“Yeah, and Dad even told me, probably a month before he died, that he wasn’t so sure that I could make it in the architectural world. He thought I was too soft and girly, but now he realized that I had bigger balls than some of the guys I worked with, and he was impressed with what I had accomplished.”

Chris let out a hearty laugh and clutched his chest in his classic left boob grab, “Oh my goodness, that is fantastic. He actually said that to you? Oh, I wish I could have met him.”

“He would have liked you, I’m pretty sure of it,” they walked a few steps more, “So, you’ve heard all about my family, enough about me. Tell me what I need to know about Chris Evans. Where are you from?

“Boston, I was born in the city but raised in the suburbs. I have a brother and two sisters, my parents are divorced. That happened when I was 18 so I had a relatively normal and stable childhood. My dad is a dentist, and my mom is the creative director at a Children’s Theater. I’ve got two nephews and a niece, and I play a superhero on the big screen, but I am a big, goofy guy most of the time.”

“So, you are not like Captain America? All straight-laced and perfect?”

“No, although I think sometimes my mother wishes I would be a little more like Cap and a little less like Chris. How about you, does this news disappoint you?”

“No, just the opposite,” there was a bit of mischief in her eye as she spoke these words, “I’d get really bored with the straight-laced guy all the time, I like a guy who can get into a little trouble now and then.”


	4. Chapter 4

As Chris and Sabrina continued to walk down Michigan Avenue, their conversation came easy and was comfortable. For the first time in a long time, Sabrina was not in a hurry to rush back to the office and did not feel the pressure of the world on her shoulders. She was also enjoying the fact that she was holding his hand; something so simple that you never think about yet was relaxing and amazingly intimate for her. This is not who she is or what she does.

“So, you like bad boys or do you just like to get in trouble?” Chris asked playfully and with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, I wouldn’t say I like bad boys, and I wouldn’t say I like to get in trouble necessarily. But straight-laced all the time is boring, and they do say that variety is the spice of life. So tell me, do you like the Hollywood lifestyle? All the women throwing themselves at you and the attention you receive?” She thought she detected a shift in his demeanor when she asked this question, and it took him a few minutes before he answered.

“Um, no, not really. I love acting, I really do, it’s a passion of mine and I like to get lost in the role and be someone different and explore what that character might be like. I just don’t like the other stuff that comes along with it,” He took a deep breath and tried to think of the best way to say what he wanted without seeming ungrateful. “I don’t really like all of the media attention and the swarms of fans. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I have fans, and I appreciate them,” he started to trail off.

“But the attention is overwhelming?” Sabrina finished for him. “I could only imagine how hard it must be to be recognized everywhere you go. Frankly, I’m surprised no one has approached you as we’ve walked down the street. Does the beard throw people off that much?”

This made Chris laugh, “Amazingly enough, yes it does! Although I have done a few movies now with the beard so it won’t be long before that stops working. I just can’t get used to women fawning over me. Damn, that sounds conceited.”

“No, it doesn’t. Why is it hard for you to believe that women find you attractive? You can’t seriously think you are unattractive?” Sabrina stopped, they had made their way to the water tower, and this would be a good place to turn and start their journey back towards the river. “Wait, do you not think you’re attractive, Chris?”

“I think I’m average, okay, maybe a little more than average but I don’t go walking around thinking I’m all that. How fucked up would that be? Why did we stop walking by the way?” He looked around to get an idea of where they were, he had not been paying attention to their surroundings.

“One, I wanted to stop to make you look at me and answer the question. And two, well I figured this would be a good spot to turn around and head back,” she could not help but smile at that those gorgeous eyes as he was looking at her so intently. “This is the Water Tower, the second-oldest water tower in the US, built in 1869. It’s 154 feet tall, and it is the only public building to survive that was in the burn zone of the great fire in 1871. As a matter of fact, it is actually one of just a few surviving structures from the fire that are still standing today.”

“Wow, that’s quite impressive. The building is well maintained and preserved. Obviously, there have been renovations.”

“There have been two major renovations and the last one was in 1978. The building is used today as an art gallery for the Chicago Office of Tourism.”

“I should just hire you to be my tour guide and walk me around the city and tell me everything I need to know. You know, if you ever get tired of designing buildings that could be your next career.”

“Yeah, well I might have a connection or two with the Architectural Society so maybe I could become a docent and give tours.”

Chris began to laugh, “Ok, so I answered your question, now you need to answer mine,” he returned her smile and raised his eyebrows at her. “How about you, do you like all of the attention you get? I mean the Mayor even said it, you’re a city treasure, and you’ve got a legacy to live up to.”

“You know what? You really do have beautiful eyes,” her response was a deliberate attempt to evade his question, “And I would absolutely kill to have your eyelashes. I am sure you hear that quite often.”

He decided that he was going to go for it, he let go of her hand and slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her to his side. He then began walking with her back toward the river, “How is that you make me answer your questions, but you evade mine? You are insufferable, you know that?”

“Fine, I hate the attention almost as much as you do. Don’t get me wrong, I love the success but just wish I didn’t have to be in the spotlight for it. I hate that for every time they mention my success they have to tie it back to my family and our legacy; as if I am incapable of doing it on my own.”

“Ah, so I have hit a sore spot for the great Sabrina Burnham; I’ll make note of that for future reference,” Chris also noted that Sabrina did not fight the fact that he had her by the waist. In fact, she had slid her arm around him, and they had fallen into a comfort level with one another that he had not actually experienced so quickly with anyone else.

To most people walking past them on the street, they must have looked like a long established couple who were out for a leisurely stroll down Michigan Avenue. No one would have anticipated that they had only just met and were spending their first hours together. As they got closer to the river, Sabrina’s stomach was starting to growl. Usually, she could go all day without eating and be just fine. But for some reason, the walking and talking with Chris had her starving; and she wanted a drink to calm her nerves because she was starting to feel things that she needed to quell and quickly. They ducked into a little dive bar, nothing fancy, someplace where they could sit in a dark corner and enjoy a drink and some bar food without being bothered.

As Sabrina sat down, she pulled her cell phone out of her purse, “Crap, Audrey has called me five times. I never heard my phone ring, did you?”

Chris pulled his phone out of his pocket, “Wow, she’s called me half a dozen times, too. I have mine on vibrate, and I never felt it go off. Do you think maybe we’ve been pre-occupied?”

Sabrina laughed and sent off a quick text to Audrey, “I just texted her and told her I was with you and unless a building was on fire or she was dead, that I would talk to her later.”

“I take it that you don’t just get up from your desk and walk away for the day?”

“No, so she is probably freaking out thinking I went on the boat ride and would have come back. She probably assumed you pushed me overboard.”

“Nah, the thought never crossed my mind.”

“Well, you might reconsider by the end of the night. She’s so used to me bothering her at all hours for stuff that I think it worries her when she doesn’t hear from me.”

“I’m not going to reconsider tossing you off the boat. If you had fallen in accidently, I would have gone in after you,” he winked at her and flagged down a waitress to place their order.

The two drank and had greasy cheeseburgers, something Sabrina had not eaten in years. The more time she spent with Chris, the more she realized she was in trouble. He was a good guy, and she found herself falling for his charms; even if he wasn’t trying to lure her in, she was falling and couldn’t stop herself. She had spent so much of the last few years blocking men out and having meaningless flings to get through her needs; relationships were not part of her plan, ever. If she went on more than one date with a guy, it was time to move on. She needed to get out of this bar and away from him before she ended up taking him home because she was afraid if she took him she would not let him go.

When the waitress brought the check over, she instinctively reached for it, but Chris grabbed it first. “My treat, I realize it isn’t a fancy date but let me get it.”

“You paid for the fancy date, you arranged for the boat ride. It only makes sense that I pay for dinner.”

“No, don’t completely emasculate me, okay?” Sabrina nodded, not thinking that her independence could come off that way to him. She moved her hand and let him take the check and pay. When he returned to the table, he held out his hand for her, and she graciously took it and stood.

The two of them walked back across the bridge to their starting point, and Sabrina took the opportunity to make a break for the evening. The sun was beginning to set, and she realized she had spent all day and the early part of the evening with him and that the time had flown by. “Chris, I’ve had a wonderful time with you today, and I appreciate that you got me out of the office,” her voice trailed off.

Chris jumped in to finish her thought, “And this is where you’re going to blow me off and send me on my way, right?” His voice was a little terse, and he was trying not to sound hurt, but he was definitely confused since he thought things were going so well.

“Well, not exactly like that, but I’m sure you’re probably a little sick of me. Plus, I should probably check in on my work emails and see if there are any fires I need to put out.”

He took a step closer to her, there was not much room between their bodies, “Well, first of all, I’m not sick of you, and that is not something you would have to be worried about. But I can appreciate if you need to check in on work. Do you want me to walk you to your office?”

She swallowed hard, his body being so close was stirring emotions within her, she wanted to grab his face and kiss him, but she knew that would probably not be well received. “Um, no, I’m going to just go home from here, it’s not that far of a walk,” she turned and pointed in the general direction of where her building was located.

“I can walk you if you want,” his voice was soft, and she was almost positive he was leaning in.

“No, that’s fine, I’ll be okay, it’s not that long of a walk.”

She really couldn’t say anything further because he was, in fact, leaning in, his lips grazed her’s and the kiss was gentle, and her mind went numb. His hands went to her face, and her hands went to his hips, the soft and sweet kiss immediately turned deeper, and his tongue pushed against her lips, and she opened her mouth to give it access. There was passion and heat, and as soon as it started, it was quickly over as he broke away and stepped back.

“Yeah, I should go,” he offered as he stepped back.

“Um, yeah, me too,” she responded, trying to catch her breath. She quickly turned and almost stepped off the curb into the path of a taxi, catching herself at the last minute. When the road cleared, she bolted across the street, leaving Chris on the corner to watch her disappear down the block.

~ ~ ~  
Chris turned to walk towards his hotel once Sabrina was out of sight, but before he began the journey, he pulled out his phone and dialed Audrey’s number. The phone had barely rang one time before she answered and started yelling into the phone.

“Where in the hell have you two been all day? Please tell me she is with you, I mean nothing happened to her, right?” She was met with silence which didn’t do anything to help her mindset at the moment, “Chris, talk to me, is everything alright? Did something happen?”

“I fucked up, Audrey. I mean it, I truly and utterly fucked up.”

“Why, what did you do?” The concern in her voice was evident, no hiding the emotion.

“I kissed her,” as he spoke those words he began to walk towards the hotel. “We had, what I thought, was a fantastic time this afternoon, the boat ride was great, she loved it. We walked down Michigan Avenue and had burgers and beers at a greasy little bar. We talked, we held hands, she let me walk with my arm around her. I’m telling you it was perfect.”

“Shit, she’s sending me text messages, hold on I’m going to put you on speaker while I read them. Go on, keep talking,” she begged.

“I like her, I really do; she’s not just a steely bitch, and I see that. I mean she wants you to think she is, and she gives off this vibe that she’s cold-hearted and challenging, but I can tell that she’s more.”

Audrey was reading the text messages from Sabrina and biting her tongue because the things Sabrina was saying did not jive with what Chris was saying.

“OMG, Audrey!!! He kissed me, and it wasn’t some chaste little kiss. This was panty melting!”

“I think the earth moved, and I swear I heard fireworks! Dear GOD, he is talented with his lips, and that was just a kiss!”

“I swear I was so close to inviting him back to my place, but I didn’t want to ruin it, and I’m not really sure he is as into me as  
I might be into him. I don’t want to fall for him Audrey, damn you for introducing me to him. Do you hear me?”

“Audrey! What do you think?” Chris was trying to get her attention because she was not responding, “What is she saying to you?”

“Chris, I need to call her. Look, here’s the thing, be honest with me. You are in town for a few days, and then you are going home to Boston or back to LA – do you want to get tangled in a relationship?”

“I didn’t, but that was before I met her,” he got quiet and took a deep breath, “She’s different, and I like her. I’m not saying I want to marry her and I’m not saying I want to date her but can’t I see where it goes?”

“But what if it leads in that direction? What if it leads to a relationship, are you ready for that? She’s older than you, Chris and by a few years.”

“You don’t want me to pursue it?”

“No, it isn’t that, I just want you to have your eyes completely open before you step off that ledge you’re teetering on. It’s a plunge, and you have to be ready to take it just in case,” she figured she had nothing to lose by being blunt about it. He had to know what the stakes were, and she needed to get Sabrina on the phone. “Look, I’m going to call Sabrina and talk to her and then I will call you back, I promise. Think about it.”

Chris disconnected the call and walked through the revolving door of the Trump Hotel. He had been avoiding his friends to spend time with Sabrina and Audrey; they would eventually come looking for him. Maybe hanging out with them in the bar tonight would be a good way to get that woman off his mind. He pressed the button for the elevator and prayed that Audrey could get some answers and that she would be straight with him. He wanted to know what was going on.

~ ~ ~  
Audrey went into the kitchen and grabbed a beer, for what just happened on the phone with Chris and what was about to occur with Sabrina, she was going to need it. These two were both falling over the edge, and she had to be neutral and in the middle; she hated this! She took a long pull from the bottle before dialing Sabrina’s number.

“I wondered if you were even paying attention to my text messages,” Sabrina snapped as she answered the phone.

“Well, I was on the phone with your boyfriend so I couldn’t call you or text you back right away.”

“Don’t call him that,” Sabrina’s voice was soft and barely audible, “I ran away from him, Audrey. He kissed me, and I ran away, almost got hit by a taxi, that’s how fast I was trying to get away from him.”

Audrey could hear the pain her voice, she knew how hard relationships were for Sabrina. Even the idea of a relationship made her break out in hives, so this had to be hard for her. “So the kiss was monumental, eh?”

“What did he say to you? He hates me doesn’t he? I mean, I’m sure he does,” Sabrina began to pour herself a drink, hoping it would steel her nerves to continue this conversation.

“Are you getting a drink? How much have you had today? Maybe you need to hold off so you can think straight. After all, you do have to work tomorrow, or are you planning on staying in bed all day and hiding?”

“Shut up! I’m upset, can’t you tell? Can you be sympathetic, just once?”

“I’m always sympathetic, but I am trying to get you to be realistic. Why exactly are you upset? Are you upset because you might like him or are you upset because he might be mad at your or is it a combination of both?”

She didn’t respond right away, she let the question hang in the air, “You aren’t going to tell me what he said to you, are you? I just want to know if he hates me for walking away?”

Audrey let out an audible sigh, “You are so good at evading questions, I swear you raise it to a damn art form. No, he doesn’t hate you. Shit, Sabrina, he thinks he really fucked up because he kissed you and then you ran off.” Sabrina said nothing, she slowly sat down on the bar stool and gave up on preparing her drink. Audrey’s words were starting to sink in. “In case you need me to interpret that for you, he seems to like you and thinks he has ruined any and all chances with you because he kissed you on a street corner.”

“He thinks he messed up? Are you serious? Oh, Audrey please tell him he didn’t mess up anything, I’m the one who messed up.”

“No, you tell him, Sabrina. I’m not going to play the go-between for you two; you’re both adults, granted he is several years younger than you are in case you needed a reminder. But you need to work this out with him one way or another.”

Sabrina’s voice was barely audible, “I like him, God help me, I don’t want to, but I do. I can’t explain it because it makes no sense, but he gets me, and he makes me comfortable. Do you know how long it’s been since I can say I was comfortable with a man? Audrey, it’s like he understands me on a level that no one else has and I don’t know how he does it.”

“He can relate to you, that’s why. Pressure, spotlight, living up to your past success, that’s what his life is all about. He can connect with you on a level that other guys you’ve gone out with can’t. But he’s only in town for a few days, and you are falling hard and fast and when he leaves town, what will happen to you? I’m worried about you, that’s all.”

“I need to step away, I know it. He’s amazing, though, and I haven’t even mentioned how insanely gorgeous he is.”

“Yeah, he is that,” Audrey was actually jealous of Sabrina for what she was going through with Chris. She had these emotions at one time, but they were all one-sided; there was no chemistry between her and Chris. It was too bad, she had it bad for him and wanted there to be some sort of connection. Unfortunately, there was none, and she settled for the friends path, she took what she could get. “I think you need to talk to him, let him know you were scared; just be honest with him. He thinks he screwed up, and you need to set him straight.”

“I don’t have his number,” Sabrina admitted.

“I can give it to you,” Audrey chimed in quickly, “Nevermind, I’ll give it to him because I need to call him back anyway. But I’m telling you now, don’t hurt him.” Audrey disconnected the call and finished off her beer. She knew she had to call him back, but she needed to pull herself together first. She was going to end the night being mad at both of them, she could feel it.

~ ~ ~  
Chris threw himself across the bed in his room; he could not quit replaying that kiss and then watching Sabrina practically run away and throw in for good measure the fact that she almost got hit by a taxi because she was so eager to get away. Why did he have to push his luck? Things were going so well, or at least in his mind they were; maybe his brain had that mixed up, too. As if on cue, his phone chimed with a text message, Chuck wanted him to join them up in the bar for drinks. He figured he might as well, he could drink her off his mind versus staying in the room and wallowing in self-pity. He pulled himself off the bed, texted that he was on his way and made his way to the door.

He elected not to tell his friends what was going on. Although, they were curious as to where he had been spending all of his time since he was scarce around the hotel. He admitted he had a friend in Chicago he had not seen in a while, and he was using this opportunity to catch up; he just left out the detail that it was a woman and that he was falling for her best friend.

Two hours later, quite a few drinks later and his cell phone was vibrating in his pocket. He ignored it at first, continuing to drink because the bourbon was numbing his senses. Plus, he was having a good time hanging out with the guys. The bartender had put them off in a side area where it was semi-private; this was mainly because they were getting rowdy but they were drinking a lot, and he couldn’t afford to kick them out.

When the phone began to ring a second time, he decided to at least see who it was. Reaching into his pocket, he tried to focus on the Caller ID, it was hard to do, but he thought it said, Audrey. “Hey, Audrey! Why you calling me so late? You wanna come and party with us?” His voice was loud, and his words were slurred.

“Oh my God, you’re drunk! Where are you?”

“I not drunk, just buzzed real good. Come and party, I’m in my hotel.”

“I’m not coming to the hotel to party with you. How much have you had to drink?”

“I dunno know. Guys, how much have I had?” He yelled across to his friends but no one was paying attention to him, “They won’t tell me. Come on and party Audrey, I’ve got Chuck, Dave, Mike, Zach, and Brandon here with me, and they would love to see you.”

“I have no idea who those people are, Chris. You need to just call me when you’re sober.”

“No, no, no, Audrey, please don’t hang up, I promise, I’ll be good,” he lowered his voice, “Chuck said I had to stop yelling, can you hear me now?”

“Yeah, I can hear you just fine. Look, I’m not having a conversation with you while you are in a bar.”

“Fine, I’ll go back to my room, hold on a second, mmkay? I gotta pay my tab and then I go,” he stumbled to his feet and walked over to the bartender. He signed the bar slip and charged everything to his room, he had no clue what he was signing, but he scribbled his name and began to wander off.

“Chris, how far is your room from the bar?”

“A few floors, I think, not sure, but I know how to get there.”

“Are you taking the steps to your room or the elevator? Because honestly, I don’t’ know if I trust you on the steps.”

“I’m taking the evelator, I mean the evalator…fuck…the moving box thingie. I’m waiting for the doors to open.”

Audrey tried to stifle her laughter, he was comical when he was drunk, “I’ll stay on the phone with you. What floor are you on?”

“Um…this one here,” he said pushing a button, not telling Audrey the number but she guessed he couldn’t pronounce it if he wanted to. “Hey, didja talk to my girl?”

“Yeah, I talked to your girl, and I’m going to give you the details, but I want to wait until you are in your room. Are you there yet?”

She could hear some fidgeting and then a slam, “I’m in my room! I made it back safe and sound but let me lie down, hold on.” He stumbled over to the bed and plopped down, “I had quite a few drinks to try to forget about Sabrina, but it didn’t work. She’s gorgeous you know, and I think I really like her.”

“I know, Chris, you told me that earlier. How many drinks did you have, I mean seriously?”

“Don’t know and don’t care. I been drinking all day; well, not all day but at times. I had some wine and some beer.”

“What were you drinking in the bar?”

“Um…bourbon, that really ‘spensive stuff I like. It is soooo good and goes down sooo smooth. Oh, the room is spinning, crap.”

Audrey was having a hard time holding back the laughter, she had seen him this drunk before when they were in Vegas. He was so cute, but she knew this was also dangerous. He didn’t drink like this very often, in fact, during her time knowing him this was probably only the second or third time he had ever been this drunk. Typically, he gets a good buzz and can be silly, but this was flat out wasted.

“Chris, listen to me, we can have this conversation tomorrow, I think you need to sleep this off. You are too drunk to have a rational conversation.”

“No, you need to tell me what my girl said and why she hates me. I thought we had a real date today. We rode on the boat, and she got all cute and embarrassed when the tour girl said those nice things about her. And then she walked me down that one street where she told me all that stuff about the buildings and when they were built.”

“Did you two walk down Michigan Avenue?”

“Um, yeah, that’s the one. She is so smart; do you even know how smart she is? She told me about the water thingie and the fire and stuff. Audrey, my head hurts.”

“That’s because you drank too much. Why in the world did you do this to yourself?”

“Cause she hates me. She let me hold her hand and put my arm around her waist and then I had to go and do something stupid like kissing her.”

Audrey wondered if their interpretation of the kiss was similar; she figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask him. “So, how was the kiss?”

“Oh sweet heavens, it was fantastic. I think fireworks went off or something; her lips are soft, and she felt so good. Man, I messed up.”

“You didn’t mess up, Chris,” she waited for a minute to see if he would calm down enough for the words to sink in, “She told me that she was scared, and that is why she took off, you didn’t fuck it up.”

This caused him to sit up, but the pain that rushed through his head made him moan and lay back down, “What? She was scared of me? I not gonna hurt her or nothing, why she scared?”

“Chris she doesn’t do relationships, and she realized she likes you, and it scares her.”

“She likes me? Really? That’s awesome!”

“Dear God, how old are you, Evans? I swear you are like a drunk teenager.”

“I need to call her, I need to tell her not to be scared,” he began to panic, “Audrey, I don’t have her number!”

“Calm down, Romeo. She is okay with me giving it to you, but you cannot call her tonight. Wait until you are sober, or you will run her off.”

“Okay, boss, I won’t call her tonight, but I can call her tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, you can call her tomorrow, sweetie. I’m going to text you her number, and when you get up tomorrow afternoon, you can call her and fix everything. Just get some sleep tonight and dream away that hangover, okay?”

“Thank you, I owe you one,” he said as he hit the ‘end’ button on his phone he immediately fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Sabrina walked into the office, just like most mornings, she was the first one there. She flipped on the lights in the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee; she was going to need quite a bit of it today because she got no sleep last night. Her mind would not shut off, all she could think about was Chris and the look on his face when she pulled away and began to walk off. Her talk with Audrey wasn’t helping her either. Her best friend was cautioning her to stay away from him, and her body was screaming to run towards him.

She walked over to Alice’s desk and wrote her a note, asking that she not be disturbed. She intended to lock herself into her office and not come out unless it was to get coffee or to go home. She walked into her office and quietly clicked the door closed and turned the lock. She fired up the laptop and emersed herself in her work.

~ ~  
The knock on the door and the announcement of “housekeeping” stirred Chris out of his slumber. Well, that and the stream of sunlight that was coming in through the break in the curtains. His head was pounding, but he was able to pull himself off of the bed and made it to the door, asking if they could come back later. Since he was upright, he might as well take a shower and see if he could return to the land of the living. The clock on the nightstand read 11:30 am; he had no idea what time he had gone to bed, but he was pretty sure he could have slept for a few hours more and been just fine.

Emerging from the bathroom a short time later, he was feeling better and went searching for his phone. He found it tucked under his pillow, the charge was dwindling. He plugged it into the bedside outlet and checked his messages. There were several from his buddies, they were concerned that he left to take a call and never returned. They wondered if he was alright, he went ahead and responded now, letting them know he had gone to his room and passed out, but he was fine.

He had a missed call from his management team, he figured he would give them a call to see what was going on. He had no projects on the burners right now so maybe they had something come up for him. He had been on an extended vacation at the moment, waiting for the final Avengers movies to start filming in the fall. He knew he would want to take some time off after filming those monster movies back to back, but he needed to give some thought to the next project.

The final message was from Audrey, it was just a phone number. No note or indication as to who the number belonged to. This was odd, to say the least. Usually, if she were going to text him a number, she would give him a name or information to go with it. He figured he would just call her and ask; he dialed her number and waited for her to answer.

“Well, good afternoon Mr. Evans, I’m glad to know you are still alive.”

“Huh? What are you talking about? I thought I’d give you a call and see what this number is that you texted me last night.”

Audrey let out a hearty laugh, “Oh my, you don’t remember talking to me last night?”

“Um, no,” he said hesitantly, worried now for what he might have said or done, “Oh man, what did I do or say?”

“Well, let’s see, for one, you were extremely drunk. You were not just a little buzzed brother, you were quite wasted. So much so, that you described taking the moving box thingie from the bar back to your hotel room.”

Chris let out a groan and dropped his head, “Shit! Okay, so I was wasted, and you are not going to let me live this down. What were we talking about?”

“You had asked me to call you after I’d spoken to Sabrina; you wanted me to fill you in on the details. Does this sound vaguely familiar?”

Chris ran his fingers through his hair, “Yeah, it sounds familiar. I wanted to know if she hated me and if I had screwed things up with her. That’s why I was drinking last night, trying to drink her off my mind.”

“You sound like a country song for heaven’s sake. The drinking didn’t help did it?”

“No, just made me have a hangover and still wonder if I have totally screwed up any and all opportunities with her. How is she today?”

“She is locked in her office, won’t talk to anyone, including me. She has given Alice very strict instructions not to bother her and the only time she comes out is if she wants a coffee refill. Honestly, can’t understand why she doesn’t put one of those coffeemakers in her office but I guess that would be too much like work for her to make her own cup.”

Chris let out a snort, “Ok, I see you’re in a good mood then. Just give me the bad news and let me get on with it. I have this wedding tomorrow, and then I can leave and put this behind me.”

“You didn’t fuck up; she isn’t angry with you and doesn’t hate you. I texted you her phone number so you could call her and potentially work it out. But I want to warn you, she doesn’t do relationships; she hasn’t had a serious one in many years.”

“Ok, I consider myself warned. So, she’s scared, and I freaked her out with the kiss?”

“Yeah, because she thinks she might like you and the idea of having feelings is, shall we say, uncharted territory.”

“I promise, I’ll be careful. Besides, I know you’ll kill me if I do anything to hurt her. Thanks, Audrey.”

“You’re welcome, Chris. Let me know how it goes.”

~ ~ ~  
Sabrina dialed into a conference call regarding a new building project that was going up for bid. This call was to outline the rules and regulations for a lengthy RFI that would need to be submitted to even allow you to be eligible to place a bid for the design work. The project was extremely secretive, no details were being provided as of yet as to the building location or the size of the job. Typically, Sabrina would ignore these types of jobs because the hoops you had to jump through were ridiculous for the size job that ended up being put on the table. However, GR Development was one of the larger building management companies in the world, and none of their jobs were ever small. The only thing she had to be careful of, was that this was not going to be for a shopping mall in the middle of suburbia; definitely not worth her time and effort.

She was pacing back and forth while listening to the call; she remembered why she usually had someone else dial into these things. They were boring and tedious and tested her patience; why in the world could these people not speak just a little faster and get on it with it. Good grief, just give the details already! She was about to hang up and give up on the project when she heard the magic words, two skyscrapers to be built, one in Boston and one in Dallas. The buildings would have to match and adhere to the strict design codes for each area. She rushed back to her desk and scribbled down the particulars and quickly fired off a text to Audrey, asking her to come to her office.

Audrey arrived as the call was ending, Sabrina darted across the room to unlock the door, “You are not going to believe this, GRD just had their RFI call, we need to put a project team together immediately, I want this job! Two buildings, Audrey, one in Boston and one in Dallas – the project will be massive.”

“So, you should take a breath before you pass out. This is just an RFI, that is standard, why a project team if they don’t accept our information and allow us to bid?”

“They are not going to tell me I can’t bid on this. When have I been denied an opportunity to ever bid on a job or submit a design? The answer, my friend, is never, and I don’t intend this to be the first one. From a legal standpoint, I need your team to put together the RFI and work with Marketing on the branding. I’ll write the cover letter and sign off on everything.”

“Are they going to send the final specs of what we have to provide and when?”

Sabrina walked back over to her desk and checked her email, “Here it is, they were sending everything out to whoever was on the call. I’ll forward this to you for review. From a quick scan, looks like this has to be emailed in PDF format by noon on Tuesday.”

As Audrey was preparing to respond, Sabrina’s cell phone began to ring. The number was unfamiliar to her so she decided to ignore it, “Go on Audrey, what were you going to say?”

“Hey, what was the area code for that call?”

She looked at the call log, “Um, 978, why?”

“That as Chris calling you, would you like me to leave so you can call him back?” Audrey raised an eyebrow and gave her a sly grin.

“Okay, yeah, I guess I should call him back. Did you talk to him last night?”

“I did speak to him, yes. Am I going to tell you what he said, no? You call him and clear everything up once and for all. Be with him, don’t be with him, it isn’t my concern.” With those words, Audrey walked out of Sabrina’s office and back towards her own. She knew that one way or another, she would end up hearing what transpired on the call.

Sabrina stared at her phone for a minute and then stood from her desk and walked over to close her door. She didn’t want Alice to hear the call because she wasn’t sure what would be said. She swallowed hard, this was out of her comfort zone and dialed his number.

Chris eagerly answered the call, “Hi, Sabrina,” his greeting was light and jovial. 

“Hi, I’m sorry, I was in the middle of something when you called so I couldn’t pick up right away,” she was trying to keep her voice even and cool. “How are you?” She realized she probably sounded utterly moronic, but she wasn’t really sure how to conduct small talk with him.

“Oh, I’m good, thanks. I’m sorry to bother you, but I was concerned with how we left things last evening,” he wasn’t really sure how to go on and paused to get himself together. “I just wanted to apologize to you, in case I went too far, I mean. I had such a great time with you yesterday, and I think I got carried away.”

“I see, so you regret kissing me?” She sounded disappointed, almost as if she was hurt that he might want to take the kiss back and pretend it didn’t happen.

“No, Sabrina, I don’t regret kissing you. I’m just sorry if it made you feel uncomfortable but I don’t regret doing it.”

This made her smile, she loved his honesty over the situation. “I think I was just caught off guard, that’s all. I wasn’t anticipating it, but I wouldn’t say that you need to apologize for it. And, I did have an enjoyable time with you as well; I appreciated the time away from the office and being able to show you our fine city.” While her words were polite, she was standoffish, there was no warmth or emotion in them.

“I had an ulterior motive in calling, actually. You know I’m in town for a wedding, right?”

“Yeah, I remember you mentioning that the other day. That’s why you’re staying at the Trump, I believe.”

“Uh, yeah. I sure in the hell wouldn’t stay here voluntarily. My friend is an ass and thinks it is hysterical to make me, a die-hard Democrat, stay in this place,” he couldn’t help but laugh at the idea, Chuck really did have a wicked sense of humor. “Anyway, I wondered if you would do the honor of accompanying me to the wedding, as my plus one?”

Sabrina was shocked, she didn’t know what to say. The idea that he was asking her out on an official date, this was highly unusual and while she wanted to scream ‘yes’ her brain was telling her otherwise. “I appreciate your invitation, Chris, but I am going to have to decline.”

“Oh, I see,” he couldn’t hide the disappointment in his voice and he didn’t want to. 

Sabrina ignored the obvious disappointment in his voice, “I’m just not sure if it is a good idea for us to be seen in public together, that’s all.”

“Why would you be worried about something like that? I don’t get it because it didn’t seem to be a problem yesterday when we were walking down Michigan Avenue hand in hand or with our arms around one another.” 

“Well, that was a little different, and no one recognized you yesterday, luckily. Everyone will know you at the wedding.”

“Right, because these are my friends. Sabrina, I’m confused, help me to understand this, please.”

“You just draw a certain amount of attention, and I’m not sure I’m up for that.”

“I have to admit that your comment makes no sense to me, Sabrina. But I won’t take up any more of your time though trying to figure it out. I hope you have a good afternoon.” And before she could respond, he disconnected the call.

Sabrina was left stunned; she had not expected him to just hang up. But then again, she had shot him down and claimed she didn’t like the attention that he draws as the reason. What in the hell was that? She flung her phone across the room, knocking over a vase of flowers and causing a tremendous crash. 

Her office door opened, and Alice came running in, “Ma’am are you alright?”

“I’m fine Alice, I’ll clean the mess up, it’s fine,” Alice was already bending over picking up the flowers and fishing Sabrina’s cell phone out of the carnage. “I’ll take that. Alice, it’s fine, I made the mess, and I’ll clean it up. Please, I’ve got it.”

Alice could tell by Sabrina’s voice that she wasn’t playing around, she wanted to be left alone, and she would handle the broken vase and flowers. As Alice backed out of the office, she ran into Audrey. She decided to fill her in before questions could be asked, “It appears that her cell slipped from her hands and broke a vase of flowers. She’s fine and wants no assistance in taking care of the clean up.”

“The phone slipped? More like she threw it across the room?”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that statement, ma’am,” Alice replied.

Audrey walked straight into Sabrina’s office, “What did you do?” 

“I accidently knocked off the vase, what’s it look like?”

“It looks to me like you hurled something at the vase and knocked it over. What flared your temper this time?”

“He hung up on me, made me a little angry, that’s all.”

“Chris hung up on you? That doesn’t sound like him at all, what happened? Or, should I say what did you say to him that pissed him off?”

“Me? Why does this have to be my fault?”

Audrey put her hands on her hips and stared at Sabrina for a minute before answering, “You really don’t want me to answer that do you?”

“Uh, he asked me to be his plus one to the wedding he’s going to. I told him thank you for asking, but I politely declined his invitation.”

“You what?” Audrey could not keep her voice down, “Last night you said he scared you with the kiss, but you liked him. I know damn well he likes you, so what in the hell is the problem here?”

“You can’t be mad at me for turning him down – you’re the one who told me I needed to think about the fact that there is an age difference, and he is going to be going back home. I said he could be dangerous for me.”

“Yeah, I know but you told me you had a good time with him yesterday, right?” She watched as Sabrina nodded her head in response to the question. “What could it hurt to go and have fun?”

“We’d be in public, people would see us together!”

“Would you listen to yourself? Sabrina, you walked arm and arm with him down Michigan Avenue yesterday and kissed him on a street corner! Exactly how is going to a wedding worse than that?”

“There wasn’t anyone who recognized us yesterday, but that won’t be the case tomorrow, people would know us. What if a picture is taken of the two of us together and it gets out? You know what that could mean,” there was a hint of panic in her voice as she was running through the scenario with Audrey. “I want to go, I do, but I’m torn, and you know the reason, but you just keep pushing.”

Audrey now understood where this was coming from, “Sabrina, you can’t hide out forever and quit trying to find happiness for fear of Kyle seeing a picture. You’ve put your happiness on hold for the last, what, ten years? Just go with Chris to the wedding because if you don’t, you are going to regret how you left things with him.”

Sabrina made no comment and continued to pick up the flowers and the glass. She moved to get the small dust brush and pan that was tucked away in the wall cabinet so she could get the small fragments of glass up off the floor. Audrey knew that Sabrina’s silent treatment was her defense mechanism and that the subject was closed. 

~ ~ ~  
As Sabrina returned to her desk and began reviewing the RFI documents, her argument with Audrey played back in her head. She hated to admit that her best friend had a point; she needed to quit putting her life on hold because of everything that did happen with Kyle or could happen if he resurfaced, as he continued to threaten. She needed to just take a chance and see what happened; besides, Chris was only in town for a few more days and then he would disappear back into his world. What was the harm in enjoying him while she could?

She played out the conversation in her head but knew that it would not go that way when he answered the phone. She slowly dialed his number and let her finger hover over the send button for a moment. She finally pressed it and waited for him to pick up, unlike the last time she called him, he didn’t pick up immediately; he let it ring at least 4 times before answering.

“Hello,” his voice was not chipper or friendly and even though he probably knew it was her number, Sabrina noticed he didn’t call her by name.

“Did I catch you at a bad time, Chris?” Her voice was soft, and she had an air of humility, “I can let you go if you are busy.”

“No, it’s fine Sabrina, I’m just getting ready to go to the rehearsal dinner for the wedding, I have a few minutes.”

“I’ve been thinking about our call earlier, and I wanted to see if the invitation to the wedding was still open? I’d like to go as your plus one. I mean, that is, if you’ll allow me.” 

Sabrina heard a crash and then Chris’s voice yell “Shit,” and then suddenly he was back on the line, “Sorry, I’m getting dressed and dropped the phone. Did I hear you correctly? You changed your mind and want to go to the wedding?”

“Well, I mean, yeah, unless you’ve already found a plus one.”

“No, I didn’t get another plus one for the evening. I would love for you to attend but I have to know something first,” he figured he should get this out of the way before their plans were solidified. “You said early you were embarrassed to be seen with me. So have you changed your mind on that, too?”

“Chris, I never said I was embarrassed to be seen with you. When did I say that?” She was in shock, where was this coming from? 

“Well you didn’t exactly use the word embarrassed, you said you didn’t like my kind of attention. To me, that equates to you not wanting to be seen in public with me.”

“Oh Chris, that is not what I meant, I swear. I was only saying that all eyes are on you and pictures are continuously taken of you, and I’m not sure I’m ready for that sort of attention. Oh, I am sorry you took it any other way.”

“I guess I misunderstood what you were saying. I suppose I'm the one who should be embarrassed now,” he took a breath and swallowed hard, “I’m sorry for that Sabrina.”

“No, I think we both have equal blame. I said something you misunderstood, and you were mad because of it.”

“Sabrina, would you do me the honor of being my plus one for the wedding tomorrow evening?”

“I would love to be your plus one, Chris,” she was sure the smile on her face could be seen through the phone. For all of the anguish, she had gone through after the call earlier, it was gone now. 

“The wedding starts at 5:30, you need to tell me where you live so I can come and pick you up. Unless you’d like to come and get ready in my hotel room? I can go get ready in the room of one of my friends if it would make you more comfortable.”

“You are such a gentleman,” she cooed back at him, it really was sweet that he was so concerned as to how they would get together for this event. “I’ll just come to the hotel and meet you. Just text me what room number you are in and what time you want me to be there.”

“It is formal, just so you know. I’m sure you have the wardrobe for it, but I wanted to make sure you knew the dress code.”

“That won’t be a problem, I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon. Enjoy the rehearsal dinner,” she was almost giddy as she hung up the phone. 

~ ~ ~  
Audrey walked through the front door of Sabrina’s penthouse and made her way up the steps to her master bedroom. Sabrina had called her and asked for her help in finding the perfect dress to wear to this wedding. Audrey had a knack for calming her down when it came to getting ready for big events; it drove Sabrina towards an anxiety attack to find the perfect dress for the occasion. 

Audrey was calling for Sabrina but was not getting a response. As she walked into the bedroom, she found her standing in the middle of her large closet, scantily clad and staring at the assortment of dresses. Sabrina was wearing panties and a strapless bra that helped to enhance her bust line; but to elevate the sexy for the evening, she wore nylons and garters. Audrey had to admit, it was a sexy look, and she knew that Chris would love it if Sabrina were willing to share.

Thanks to the Architectural Society benefit gala events, Sabrina had amassed an impressive collection of formal dresses. The rainbow of colors had her mesmerized and when she heard Audrey’s footsteps she turned in the direction of the door, “I have no clue what to wear. He said formal but should that be floor length, tea length, or cocktail length?”

“Floor length,” Audrey did not waver at all.

“Ok, well, I have several choices should I just put them on and you tell me what looks best?”

“Let me save you some time, Sabrina. Don’t pick out any dress that is black, you are going to a wedding and not a funeral. Wear something that has color to it. But don’t wear a pattern or floral gown, they are too busy and are too distracting.”

“Crap, I have a ton of black dresses, they are slimming and flattering.”

“Yeah, and you need not worry about slimming because you look fantastic. Don’t wear red that is too bold for a formal wedding and too whorish. Don’t get me wrong, I love red but not for a wedding. Now, with the colors that are left, find a few things and let’s see what looks best.” Audrey exited the closet and went to sit in the side chair in the bedroom, this would force Sabrina to walk out of the closest and model for a moment and to give a fair assessment of the dress and how it fit.

The first dress she walked out in was a blush pink dress with an A-line skirt and lace inserts to accent the plunging V-neck. The dress was gorgeous, and Sabrina had received many compliments on it when she wore it to last year’s gala. “Okay, this is dress choice number one. What do you think?” 

Audrey watched as she walked out and twirled around, “Eh, it’s okay. Doesn’t knock me dead and doesn’t make me think Chris will swoon. Try something else.”

Sabrina walked back into the closet and emerged a few moments later wearing a navy blue, crew neckline dress with a cut-out waist and a high slit in the skirt. As soon as she walked out of the closet, Audrey began shaking her head, “No, no, a million times no. Dear God, what were you thinking trying that dress on?”

“What? I think it’s pretty, why are you so against it?”

“The dress screams that you want Chris to fuck you on the dance floor! That might be what you want, but you can’t wear that dress to the wedding of a stranger. Just no, take that off.”

Dejected, Sabrina turned and walked back into the closet and changed, again. This time, she came out wearing a cobalt blue sleeveless, V-neck dress with a full skirt that was cut so that it was high in the front to expose her legs; what some would call a mullet dress. The color was stunning, and the dress clung to Sabrina, and the neckline gave the perfect accent to her bust line; it was perfect. 

“That’s the one, Sabrina! You have to wear that one, he won’t be able to keep his eyes off of you!”

“But it makes my boobs look big!”

“Yeah, so? Are you seriously going to complain about that?”

“You just told me the other dress was inappropriate for a stranger’s wedding, and you don’t think this one is? Come on, Audrey, this is too flashy. It’s showing off leg and cleavage, I look like a tart instead of a refined business woman.”

“This dress is sexy and sophisticated, and you are thinking it draws more attention to your chest, but it really doesn’t. This dress hugs in the right places and is elegant; it hangs on you beautifully.”

“Well, to be honest, the color is perfect because it will match his eyes,” she said with a slight chuckle.

“Oh, a smitten little kitten you are! You are going to knock his socks off for sure,” Audrey watched as Sabrina continued to check herself out in front of the mirror, she was critiquing herself very carefully. “You know, you're really hard on yourself? He will think you look stunning, and every one of his friends will be jealous. You’re over analyzing this entire scenario, just go and enjoy yourself; drink and dance and, if you're lucky, spend the night with him and don’t think about it, just do it.”

Sabrina sighed heavily and nodded her head, she knew that Audrey was right. She was over thinking this entire evening; it could go perfectly or it could go horribly wrong, but thinking about it now wasn’t going to make it any easier. She walked into the bathroom and slipped out of the dress. She needed to finish her hair and makeup and did not want to mess up the dress. Audrey, seated out in the bedroom, decided to grill her on the plans for the evening.

“Are you driving down to the hotel or are you using the car service?”

“I’m taking the car service because I don’t want to pay to put my car in that damn building. C’mon Audrey you know better!”

“Well, I’m only asking because I didn’t know if you are taking a bag with you for an overnight. I mean you are expecting to spend the night with him, right?”

Sabrina walked over and stuck her head out of the bathroom door, glaring at Audrey, “Are you serious? That would be terribly presumptuous of me to show up at his hotel room with a bag and tell him I intend to spend the night.”

“I don’t know, it might let him know what’s on the agenda for the evening,” Audrey could not help but laugh at this notion. Of course, Chris would be hopeful that it could lead somewhere, but Sabrina did have a point, it would be awfully brazen to show up with a bag. “I guess you could bring him back here, after all, a gentleman would want to make sure his date made it home safely.”

Sabrina went back to putting on the task at hand of getting ready, “I’m not taking a bag with me, and I fully intend to come home alone tonight.”

“Have you seen Chris in a tuxedo? Girl, he is hella fine in a suit of any kind but in a tux, he is even more gorgeous. Is he in this wedding or just attending?”

“He’s just attending. It is a formal wedding, but the male guests would only be required to wear a suit, not a tuxedo. That is unless his friends are odd and are doing something very different.”

“I still say when you see him all dressed up, your panties will indeed, melt and you will end up in his room or he will end up here. But what do I know, right?”

Sabrina stepped back out of the bathroom, this time, her hair and makeup were done, and she had once again put the dress on, “Ok, how do I look?” She asked tentatively as she walked fully into the bedroom and stood in front of the full-length mirror.

“Whoa! You are stunning and will definitely turn heads at this wedding. If people don’t know who you are when you walk in, they will definitely know who you are when you leave.”

“Crap, I’m not supposed to take away from the bride, it’s her day. You don’t think I’m going to do that, do you? I mean I have no idea how lovely the bride is…I’m not saying I’m prettier than she is…oh…shit..”

“Calm down, I think you will be fine and if you are more beautiful than the bride, well, that isn’t your fault! Now, take a deep breath and go get in the car and get over to the hotel. I’ll lock up everything for you.”

Sabrina gave Audrey air kisses so she wouldn’t smudge her lipstick and took off for the elevator. It was almost 4:30 and she it should put her over to the Trump in plenty of time to get Chris and get seated for the start of the wedding. As Sabrina disappeared into the elevator, Audrey packed up a small bag of clothes and essentials. She figured that Sabrina would end up needing it and would end up calling her to rush something to the hotel; there was no way she was going to run to her house and then back to the Trump. No, it was better to be prepared and if she didn’t need the bag, well that was okay, too. Better to be safe than sorry.

~ ~ ~  
Sabrina entered the revolving doors at the Trump building and made her way to the hotel elevator bank. Chris had texted her with his room number, and she had to admit that all dressed up, she felt like an escort going to his room. She made her way down the hall and had to admit the building was not nearly as brash and gaudy as she had anticipated it would be.

She stood in front of his door and had to pull herself together before knocking, she was suddenly very nervous. She stood up straight, shoulders back, took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Almost instantly the door flung open, and he was standing in front of her, eyes wide; he was utterly speechless.

After a few awkward seconds, Sabrina broke the ice, “Can I come in or do you want me to stand in the hallway while you finish getting ready?”

That apparently brought him out of his delirium, “Oh hell, please come in, I don’t know where my manners went,” he stepped to the side to allow her to walk into the room. “You look beautiful, that dress is stunning.”

She turned back to look at him, “Thanks, I was afraid I might be a little overdressed.” Chris was not yet finished dressed, he had his dress slacks on and his dress shirt, no cufflinks or tie as of yet. “I guess I was a little early, huh?”

“Oh, no you are on time. I got a call from my Ma, and it put me behind on getting ready. I lose track of time when I’m talking to her. I promise, five minutes, and I’ll be ready.”

“Are you wearing a tuxedo? I didn’t think you were in the wedding?”

“Oh, I’m not, but I wore this to the Golden Globes this year and loved it. Thought it would be perfect for tonight, guess I lucked out that you would be wearing blue for us to color coordinate.”

“I didn’t believe that you would have to wear a tuxedo since you aren’t in the wedding,” her comment was more of a question because she was a little confused.

“Oh, yeah, well I’m not wearing the bow tie so it won’t look like a traditional tuxedo. I’ve got a regular tie that my stylist picked out for me to wear,” he paused, realizing how that might sound. “Let me explain about that stylist comment…”

She interrupted, “No need, I totally understand and there is no harm in double checking for advice. Here, you want some help?” She could see he was struggling a bit with the cufflinks; she walked over and took the cufflinks from his hand and began to work to thread the pieces through the cuff. “There, one down and one to go.”

Chris’s body was electric with her standing so close and helping him get ready. She worked on the cuff on his other arm and when she was done she looked up into his eyes and for a moment, he was lost. “Thank you,” was all he could manage to get passed his lips. He stepped back and moved to get his tie and as he started to put it around his neck, Sabrina moved in front of him.

“Would you like some help?” She reached forward, taking the tie from his hands and beginning to tie it for him. He had to admit that there was something erotic about the fact that she did his cufflinks and was now taking care of his tie. Traditionally, it was the undressing that was sexy but for some reason, this was turning him on, and he could not explain it. Once the tie was finished, she put his collar down and smoothed his shirt, again making eye contact with him while she did it.

“I really want to kiss you right now,” the words came out without him thinking about what he was saying. He closed his eyes and shook his head as if he regretted it. He was about to apologize for what he said when he felt her lips on his, it was soft kiss, and she did not move to deepen it, but he was not complaining.

“I hope you don’t mind that I did that? I really wanted it, too,” she confessed.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Chris shrugged on his suit coat and made sure he had the key to the hotel room in his pocket. He then led Sabrina out of the hotel room and toward the elevator bank so they could go to the Grand Ballroom for the wedding. The wedding was a decent size, 225 guests, most of which were milling around the lobby and Grand Foyer before being seated for the ceremony. Sabrina began to bristle as they made their way through the crowd, she recognized a few faces and began to worry that people were staring at the two of them.

“So, who exactly is getting married and how do you know them?” She whispered as they moved toward the windows to take in the city view and get out of the throng of people.

“My friend Chuck and his fiance, Lauren. She’s from Chicago but my buddy Chuck, I grew up with him in Boston. They both live in LA but when they decided to get married they agreed to do it in her hometown, and she wanted to do it in downtown. Her parents are affluent, and they picked this hotel. God knows I wouldn’t have picked it if it were up to me.”

“Ah, yes the fact that you’re a Democrat,” she smiled and squeezed his hand. “I recognize a few faces, lawyers and council members, is her dad in politics, maybe?”

“Possibly, honestly, I don’t know. She’s a lovely girl, but I don’t spend much time around her. Actually, I haven’t seen Chuck that much lately thanks to my shooting schedule.”

Sabrina began to look around the room, she was getting a little uneasy and nervous, but she was trying not to let it show. The guests were starting to file into the ballroom, and Chris reached for her hand to take their place in line. She realized they were being seated up front, and she felt as if all eyes were on them. Of course, they would be, Chris was a superhero, and he was beyond dashing in that blue tuxedo. While they were seated in a row towards the front, Chris had moved down so they were seated towards the outside of the row versus the aisle.

They had not been seated for long when the music started, and the wedding procession began. As anticipated, Lauren was a beautiful bride and Chuck, quite dashing as he watched her walk towards him. Sabrina loved watching the reaction of the groom as he saw his bride for the first time. It was a precious moment, and she wanted a man to have his eyes well with tears and have a visible lump in his throat as he realized he was about to be given the opportunity to pledge his love. She didn’t have that with Kyle, and she should have realized then that there would be issues in their marriage. His eyes didn’t dance when he saw her walk towards him, and he didn’t seem to be overcome with emotion. But Chuck did for Lauren and, to her surprise, it made Sabrina misty-eyed over it.

She held herself together, and as the wedding proceeded, she found herself trying to wipe away the tears. Chris reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a tissue, handing it to her without a word, only a sweet smile. She took the tissue, dabbing at her eyes, then she felt his arm around her shoulder.

“I promise not tell anyone your secret,” he whispered into her ear, “I know you wouldn’t want anyone to know you have a soft spot for weddings.”

~ ~ ~  
As the ceremony ended, the guests were led back to the Grand Foyer for cocktails while the Grand Ballroom was converted from the ceremony setup to the reception configuration. Chris and Sabrina took their station against the window once again, surveying the city as the sun began to set and the lights started to make the city come alive for the evening.

“Tell me, Sabrina, why do you work so hard to show this tough exterior to the world instead of letting people see your softer side?” Chris asked, knowing he could very well ruin any relationship he was starting to build with her.

She didn’t answer him immediately, she wanted to choose her words. She continued to look out the window, unsure if she could look him in the eye as she spoke, “Do you know the biggest complaint against women in the workplace? It’s the fact that women have emotions. It isn’t just that women will cry but that they will show any sort of emotion; emotions terrify men. In business, for some reason, emotion is seen as a weakness, and you can’t have weakness in the boardroom,” She took a drink, she was trying not to sound bitter but to be matter of fact. He wanted to know why she was stone cold all the time and what better way to explain it than to display it.

“I’m sure you will find this hard to believe, but I used to be a very emotional person. My father and grandfather used to tell me that I was too emotional and I had to learn to turn them off if I wanted to succeed in business. If I were to show emotion in anything, I would lose credibility. I can show compassion for causes outside of work but keep it to a minimum, only show compassion, never show anger and never cry. I needed to be taken seriously and for that, never let them see me sweat or cry,” she took another drink and then looked over at Chris, who was staring at her with a pained expression in his eyes.

“I couldn’t do it, I’m an emotional person,” he started to smile as he the thought hit him, “I’ve cried at TV commercials. I guess your father and grandfather wouldn’t think too highly of me, would they?”

She had to smile at this notion, “Well, no, not if you were going to run the business. I think they would have liked you just fine and been okay with you being emotional as along as you weren’t going to run the family architectural firm.”

“Are you scared that you’ve let me see your softer side?”

“A little, I feel a little vulnerable, and that isn’t something I’m used to. I can’t explain it, Chris but I feel comfortable with you and that in itself scares me.”

He took a step closer to her, “Yeah, I know but I promise there is no reason to be scared. And, I won’t tell anyone that you can have emotions, that stays between us. I wouldn’t want to ruin that reputation of your’s,” he smiled and then bent down to kiss her cheek. The kiss sent a jolt of electricity through her body that she was not quite prepared for.

The mix of alcohol and her intoxication from him being in that tuxedo was driving her insane. She was unsure if she was going to be able to contain herself for the remainder of the evening and she was beginning to think that an overnight bag might have been needed after all. Chris took her drink glass and moved to get refills; something she wasn’t sure she really needed. However, she took the opportunity to get out her phone and send a quick text to Audrey.

“I may not be able to contain myself – he’s in a tuxedo, and his look defines definition! God help me I’m in trouble!”

She did not bother to wait for Audrey’s response because she could guess that it would be a series of ‘I told you’ and ‘go for it’ texts; instead, she flipped her phone to silent and shoved it back in her purse. She had just closed her bag when Chris walked back over with their full glasses of champagne.

“Checking your phone for a possible escape?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No, but I was checking email; sorry, it’s a bad habit of mine that I just can’t seem to break.”

He put their glasses down on the window ledge and pulled her close, leaning down and whispering in her ear, “I bet I could make you forget all about checking your email.” He then placed kisses from her ear down her neck to her shoulder, he heard her let out a soft moan, and it brought a smile to his lips.

“Oh, dear God,” she finally managed to get out, “Seriously, Evans you can’t do that to me in a room full of people.”

“Then I could take you to a place where there are no people,” he offered.

Her head snapped up, and she came back to her senses, “No, you are at your friend’s wedding, and people are looking at us.”

He started to laugh, “I can guarantee you, no one would care if I disappeared but they might be upset if you walked out. I guess we need to stay around for a little longer, at least until the reception actually starts.”

The two of them mingled with the crowd at the cocktail reception; while faces looked familiar to Sabrina, none of the names rang any bells. When she was introduced, though, people did recognize her name and she quickly became the topic of conversation. For once, Chris was not getting all of the attention, and he wasn’t complaining. He was happy to blend into the background and let people chat with Sabrina; providing her a moment to talk about her buildings and her successes.

As the ballroom doors opened for the reception to officially begin, he slid his arm around her waist and led her into the room to find their table. They had been seated toward the front of the room with several of Chris’ friends; this would at least provide them with a table of friendlies to visit with. While Sabrina didn’t know them, the comfort level would be better for Chris and ultimately for her, than it would be if they were sitting with strangers.

Sabrina had to admit that she was not hungry; she moved the food around on her plate more than anything. She chalked it up to nerves, she was more relaxed than she had anticipated and she had been flirting quite heavily with Chris all night, but she was still nervous to be with him. She had already admitted to him that she had a certain level of comfort with him and that he made her feel vulnerable. Plus, she had already admitted to finding him almost damn near irresistible. As she sat there, she listened carefully to his conversation with his friends. During her conversations with him, his Boston accent was not that noticeable, but with his buddies, it was coming out strong. She was lost listening to it, he had gone from sounding so GQ to sounding as if he was at a frat party and it was delicious.

She decided to put all semblance of being a lady on hold, she rested her left elbow on the table and put her head on her hand, watching Chris to her right as he conversed with his friends. He was animated and seemed to be enjoying himself, and she loved seeing this side of him. If this was her last time seeing Chris, she was glad that she was able to see more of what the real Chris Evans is really like. She had to admit, it made her like him even more. He really was dangerous, and he had no idea what he did to her.

After a few minutes, he glanced over and noticed her watching him. He smiled, put his hand on top of her thigh and began to lean in towards her. As he moved, so did his hand, he leaned forward, and his hand curved around her thigh, “Are you alright?”

She licked her lips and nodded, “Mmm Hmmm,” was all she could actually respond with at the moment. She swallowed and moved towards him, their faces were mere inches away from one another, “I have to tell you, I love your Boston accent. The alcohol mixed with your friends have brought it out, and I am not complaining.”

“You look bored, do you want me to take you home?” He asked, the inflection in his voice gave away that he wanted her to say yes.

“No, I’m enjoying this at the moment,” she smiled back at him.

“Damn!” He muttered as he moved his hand and sat back up, turning his attention back to his friends who were addressing a question to him. He could hear Sabrina laughing as he moved to answer the questions his friends were asking.

As the wait staff came by to begin clearing the dishes, the DJ started to play music, and the dancing began. Sabrina watched as couples began to go out on the dance floor. Suddenly Chris was standing and reaching for her hand, “May I have this dance?”

It was such a sweet gesture, she could not hide her smile, “Absolutely, I would enjoy that very much.”

Chris led her onto the dance floor, taking her into the traditional first position for a ballroom dance, only holding her a little closer. Their right hands were up, and he had his left hand on her back, and her hand rested on his shoulder. He was impressed that she knew the stance, and he was curious to see if she could actually dance.

The music had a Latin beat, and Chris decided to see if she could keep up with the Mambo. To his surprise, she stayed right in step with him, never missing a beat and never stepping on his toes. As he switched up the steps, she moved right with him, never faltering.

“Where did you learn how to dance?” Chris finally asked as the song changed and they moved from one Latin song to another.

“I could ask you the same thing,” she responded as she looked around to see how many people were on the dance floor and if they were being watched. She was nervous being exposed for everyone to see.

“You could, but I did ask first.”

This made Sabrina smile, “I began to dance when I was little because I was clumsy. I ended up sticking with it and danced competitively for years.”

He could not help but laugh at her comment, “Well, I would have never guessed that you were clumsy, so evidently the dancing worked for you.”

“Yeah, I suppose it did. So, how about you, where did you learn how to dance?”

Chris took the opportunity to twirl her around, “Oh, I was born with this talent, sweetheart. I didn’t have to take lessons.”

Sabrina rolled her eyes, “Yeah, right, whatever.”

The song changed, and the dance moved from the fast-paced Latin dances to the slow and romantic Waltz. Chris moved his hand on Sabrina’s back and pulled her towards him a little more. There was little space between the two of them. “Okay, fine, Ma was a dancer, and she taught all of us how to dance when we were kids. I think she had the hopes I would grow up and be the next Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly. Instead, she got Johnny Storm and Captain America.”

“I am sure she is not complaining because she got Cap and not Fred or Gene. Besides, there is still time for you to make a movie where you can dance. I’m sure you could make a white polyester suit look good if you want to remake Saturday Night Fever.”

“Oh hell no! If I’m gonna remake a Travolta movie, give me Grease, the outfits are better.”

“You do have a point, I do believe you would look mighty fine in a pair of tight jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. So what do I have to do to get you to make that movie?”

“I just need you to be cast as Sandy to my Danny,” he smiled and raised his eyebrows and then lowered his head to her ear and began to softly sing, “I’ve got the chills, they’re multiplyin, and I’m losing control..”

Sabrina threw her head back and started to laugh, “Oh that is fantastic! I would love to play Sandy to your Danny, but I can’t sing. And I really hate to break it to you, but I’m not nearly as innocent as Sandy is.”

Chris took this as an opportunity to dip Sabrina. As he was looking down at her, he responded, “Good, that’s what I’m counting on.”

The song they were waltzing to was coming to an end, and Sabrina broke their hold. Before she could get away, Chris asked, “Wait, where are you going?”

She moved closer to him and whispered, “Please tell me you know how to dance the Argentine Tango?”

Chris smiled, “Well its been a while, I’m not sure if I can remember it,” he was playing coy, “Do you know it?”

“I do, and I love this dance, it is sexy and erotic, and I can lead if you can follow,” she said with a mischevious glint in her eye.

“I’m sure it will come back to me.”

“Let’s see, shall we? I’m going to request a song, maybe we can give a whirl.”

“Earlier you were concerned about all eyes being on you. You know if we do this, we will have everyone watching, right?”

“Yeah, I know. But you’ve been kissing me, showing me off and now dancing with me, so I think that ship has sailed. And besides, my attitude went out the window earlier when your hand went crawling up my thigh,” the grin she gave him lit up the room. He wasn’t sure if everyone else realized it but he certainly did.

He watched as she walked over and talked to the DJ, the conversation was animated, and he nodded his head and seemed to be agreeing with what she was suggesting. He had no idea what she had planned, but when the DJ smiled, he figured he should be worried.

While she talked to the DJ, he removed his tuxedo jacket, loosened his tie and decided to roll up his shirt sleeves. He was trying to remove his cufflinks when she walked back over to take his hand. “Hey, can you help me? I want to roll up my sleeves.”

“Are you anticipating you will be getting hot?” She winked at him while she reached for his wrist.

“Should I be worried? You looked like you were plotting something with the DJ, I feel like I’m going to be in trouble,” he said hesitantly as they moved across the dance floor in perfect step.

“No, we weren’t plotting anything, just trying to determine the best song. He made a suggestion based on watching us dance, and I have to admit, it fits.”

“Are you willing to put my cufflinks in your purse? I don’t want to lose those?”

“Sure, I can do that,” she was rolling up his sleeves, and the current song was coming to an end, Sabrina could feel the butterflies in her stomach because she knew that the song she picked was next. She looked Chris in the eye, “Are you ready? Our song is about to start.”

Chris stood up straight and noticed she was walking away from him; he could not help but smile as he recognized the song, the beginning refrains of Wrapped Around Your Finger by The Police. He followed her out on the dance floor and realized this is how she wanted to initiate the dance, and he was going to follow her lead. He liked the fact that she was in control, but he was going to make it clear, that she would not be leading for long. He walked up behind her, in measured time, placing his right hand on her waist and taking her left hand in his. The two of them began to step backward, he then spun her around so they were facing one another; releasing her left hand, he gently ran his hand down her face and side and then lifted her arm and put them in the standard starting dance position.

Sabrina had to smile, she realized that the dance was coming back to Chris; either that or he had been lying about whether he remembered it or not They began to maneuver through the intricate steps of the tango, the long strides and the steps between each other’s legs. Chris noticed how well Sabrina had mastered the leg kicks, he was entranced by her grace and he could almost guarantee that this was her signature dance.

As much as Chris was impressed with Sabrina, she was equally impressed with him. His touch on her back, just enough to keep her in step, but not too hard, the exact amount of pressure. He was able to read her movements without her having to say a word; their chemistry was undeniable. When he would turn her and look into her eyes, the intensity and passion were palpable. They never broke the character of the dance – no words – but their eyes spoke volumes.

As they moved across the floor, they lost all sense of where they were or who was around. Sabrina was only vaguely aware that the dance floor seemed vacant, but she didn't want to look away from Chris to double check. She ran her hand across his chest and felt the beat of his heart, it felt as if it would thump right out of if his chest; she was sure hers felt the same way. He was having an effect on her that she had not anticipated. She wanted to do this dance because she loved it, she didn’t think it would turn into foreplay and that he would get her this worked up.

The music was sensual, and Sabrina wondered if Chris was paying attention the lyrics as she stood with her back to him and held his hands and they stepped across the dance floor. The music was the perfect beat and rhythm for this dance, not too fast and not too slow, and the perfect amount of sensuality. He twirled her around, placing his hand on the back of her neck, pulling her towards him and resting his forehead on hers. She could hear his breathing, not labored as if he was out of breath, but she could tell he was turned on, and she guessed he wanted the song to hurry and end. He held her close for a moment before going back to starting dance position and moving her back across the dance floor. They turned in unison; however she was balanced on one leg, and when the turn was complete, he immediately wrapped his arms around her waist to steady her.

When he knew she was steady, he slid his left arm down her leg and wrapped it around his; he then began to turn her body toward his, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, keeping their eyes locked on one another. As he dipped her towards the floor, she realized the control he had and the strength it took for him to make this move. She underestimated his ability and she knew she would never make that mistake again. As he lifted her back up, she could not help herself, she placed her hand on his face, leaving it there for a moment in the hopes that the touch conveyed feelings to him.

As she stood back up, she began to walk away, he reached for her hand and pulled back to him. Turning her to face him, he gently placed his hand on the small of her back and lifted her hand and danced her back across the floor. Chris knew the song quite well and was aware that it was coming to an end. He took the opportunity to twirl her around so that he could take her in his arms and dip her. Which is exactly what he did to end the song; he looked down at her with his million dollar smile, “So beautiful, think of how great we would’ve been if we had practiced?”

Chris lifted Sabrina up, and she wrapped her arms around him, her own smile was hard to contain. It was only then that they heard the applause of the wedding guests and realized they had been dancing on an entirely empty dance floor. Sabrina was blushing, and Chris took her hand and led her off the dance floor and back toward their table. “Did you pick that song on purpose?”

“Yes, I think it fits us pretty well, don’t you?”

“Oh, I think I’m pretty close to being wrapped around your finger; so, yeah, I believe that the song is fitting.”

“Are you so sure that I’m not wrapped around yours?” She replied back to him.

“Well with that dance, I think the entire room is wrapped around your finger right now.”

She pulled him close, wrapping her arms around his waist and placing her head on his chest, “I only care about you, Chris.”

Before he could respond, he felt a slap on his back and the voice of his friend Chuck in his ear, “Wow, Chris I had no idea you could dance like that.”

“Yeah, well it’s been years, I owe that one all to Sabrina. Chuck and Lauren, this is Sabrina Burnham, the lovely woman who agreed to accompany me to your festivities tonight.”

Chuck extended his hand, “Nice to meet you, Sabrina, I take it that you are the reason we have seen so little of Mr. Evans this week?”

“Pleasure to meet you, Chuck,” she extended her hand to Lauren as well, “Pleasure to meet you, Lauren. Congratulations, it was a lovely ceremony. I’m sorry to have kept him from you, I guess I owe you an apology.”

“Oh, no, no apologies necessary; glad to see him happy and enjoying himself. He works too much and doesn’t get out enough. We won’t keep you two, enjoy the rest of the evening.” Chuck slapped Chris on the shoulder and whispered in his ear, “You’re right man, she is gorgeous.”

“Tell me, were you truthful about not knowing the dance?”

He let out a slight laugh, “Well, not exactly. I know the dance, its just been a while since I danced it.”

“How long is a while? Because let me tell you, the way you moved, you’ve danced it recently. Those were not the moves of someone who is rusty with the Argentine Tango.”

“Um, I might have danced it about a year ago or so at a charity event for Ma’s theater.”

“What? Are you serious? Here I was thinking years ago when you were a teenager or something.”

“I never said that! I just said a while ago and a year fits into that category.”

“Was it some Dancing With the Stars like thing?”

“Sort of, I was the celebrity dancing with one of the kids from the theater for the charity event. We sold tickets to the event, and there was judging, and that was our dance. But believe me, our dance was NOT like that!”

“It better not have been like that if you were dancing with a kid,” Sabrina was almost horrified at the thought.

“Well, to be fair, she was nearly 18,” he said with a laugh, but Sabrina smacked his chest anyway. “Ow! I’m kidding, geez! No, the dance was not sexy, I swear to you it was G-rated. My Ma was in charge of everything, and you don’t think she would have her 34-year old son dancing with a 17-year old girl to a sexy dance do you? Good God, no way!”

As the two of them took their seats and tried to catch their breath, guests were filing by to congratulate them on their dance. They were told that they were a lovely couple, and their dance was beautiful. One couple told them they were destined to be the next couple waltzing down the aisle. It was right after that remark when Sabrina leaned over to look at Chris and whispered, “I can’t stand to be in this room of people any longer.”

“You want me to take you home?” He asked, feeling a little deflated all of a sudden; he had been on such a high from the dance and had hoped it was going to lead somewhere, and now she wanted to leave. Maybe he misread the signals from the dance, and if that were the case, he would severely need a lesson in reading women.

She didn’t answer him. Instead, she took him by the hand and began to lead him out of the ballroom into the hallway near the elevators. There was a small alcove and with no one around she stepped inside, pulling him towards her and her lips crushing against his in a passionate kiss that took him by surprise. She pulled away to catch her breath, “No, I don’t want you to take me home, but I would like to go to your hotel room, it’s closer.”

Chris said nothing but led her from the alcove to the elevator bank where he repeatedly pushed the ‘up’ button to call for the elevator. He suddenly had no patience to wait for the elevator but did not want to waste any energy by running up the stairs either. When he heard the ding announce the arrival of the car, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the elevator as soon as the doors began to open, not even waiting to see if anyone was getting off on the floor.

He was relieved to find that they were alone, he dropped his jacket and pushed her against the wall holding her hips and pressing his body against hers. He held onto her hips and crushed his lips against hers, there was no doubt that he wanted her. She wanted him, too. Her hands moved up his chest and then she began to tug to pull his shirt out of his pants. She wanted to get her hands on his skin, she would have preferred to get his pants down, but knew there were probably cameras, and was not prepared to be on video making out with Chris in the elevator. She would be okay with the kisses on camera, just didn’t want to be naked or in flagrante delicto.

He pulled away from her, “Are you sure about this?”

“Just shut up and kiss me,” she responded and he, of course, obliged because you don’t argue with such a beautiful woman.

He couldn’t help himself, though, he pulled back and glanced over at the wall to see that they were rapidly approaching his floor. He leaned over, picked up his suit coat off the floor and when he stood back up he smiled as he noticed she was watching each move he made. “I can’t forget the jacket, it has the key to the room in it,” he took a step closer to her and ran his hand up her inner thigh, she slightly parted her legs, and he stopped just short of the trim of her panties. He breathed into her ear, “We might need that key since we’re on my floor and those doors are about to open. I hope your ready to lose those panties and this dress in a matter of minutes.”

Before she could respond, the doors opened, and Chris had deftly moved his hand away from her inner thigh and had taken her hand, leading her down the corridor towards his hotel room. He slid the key into the door and when the light turned green, gently pushed the door open to allow her to walk in.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter is 18+ and NSFW as it contains sexual situations. If you are offended by the subject matter, please do not read this chapter.

Sabrina walked into the room with Chris close behind her, the door to the room had barely closed when he had pulled her arm to turn her to him, and his lips were on hers, and his hands were unzipping her dress. The room was dark except for the amber glow of the bedside alarm clock. They were no need for lights, their hands knew what to do. Her hands worked in a frenzied motion to pull his loosened tie off and begin to work on his shirt. She decided she couldn’t wait to unbutton it; no, she could easily afford to buy him a new one she just grabbed ahold of it and ripped it open. The buttons went flying, and he never flinched; her hands went to his chest, she craved feeling his skin and running her manicured nails over every inch of that finely-toned torso.

Their lips never parted, their tongues wrestling with one another – the raw desire was hard to contain. As her dress dropped to the floor, he stopped momentarily to admire her body – she had been ready for the evening, a sexy lacy push-up bra that provided the perfect accent to her voluptuous breasts. He could easily tell that these were God-given and were not surgically enhanced. She had the perfect curve to her hips, and there he saw the delicate string of her barely-there panties, those garters, and thigh-high nylons; damn, she was exquisite.

He placed his hands on her hips and quickly lifted her up, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist. He walked her further into the bedroom, after all, they had only just made it into the door. He could feel her heat against his torso; her heat and the fact that she was wet, she was turned on, and that only made his cock harder. He was so hard right now that he knew he wasn’t going to last; he was going to have to find a way to drag this out, he did not want to have this beautiful creature in his bed and shoot off in less than a minute. Talk about ruining his reputation.

He buried his head in the bend of her neck, nipping and kissing her neck and shoulder. His hands cupping her ass and pulling her as close to him as possible. He got to the bed and whispered in her ear, “You sure you’re ready for this?”

Her words came out breathless, “I’ve been ready all night.”

Chris put her down beside the bed and unclipped the garters from the tops of her stockings; he then shimmied the garter belt off of her hips and had her step out of it. He kicked it to the side with his foot. He then lifted her onto the bed; he wasn’t rough, no he could tell that Sabrina wouldn’t like it rough. Her ass was on the edge of the bed, he stepped back and slowly removed one shoe and then the next, discarding them onto the floor and out of the way. He then slowly rolled the nylon on her left leg down, delicately touching her skin as he removed it. Her body arched and he could tell it was turning her. He then did the same thing to her right leg and then, reached up to lift her hips and pulled her panties off. She let out a gasp as the cold air of the room hit the heat of her pulsing cunt. He took a step back, reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet and fished out the condoms he had stuffed in the back. He then tossed his wallet across the room, hoping he would remember later where it landed. He then unbuttoned and unzipped his pants; shedding them and his boxer briefs quickly.

His cock was hard, and the ache in his balls was starting to intensify. He quickly opened the condom wrapper and rolled it on, this action he had down to a science. No thought and no lights needed for this. He stepped forward again and placed his hands gently on her thighs, he gently parted her legs and admired the view; he then watched as he slowly entered her wet slit. He didn’t usually watch what he was doing, but this was not an ordinary woman, and he could tell this wasn’t a usual fuck.

She groaned softly as he entered her, the slow pace was torturing her, and he knew it. Hell, he was torturing himself. But he needed to keep from cumming immediately, and if thrust into her right away, that was exactly what he would do. He had pushed himself in, all the way to the hilt, he could feel her walls starting to tremble, but he wasn’t moving, at least not yet.

He leaned forward, arms on either side of her, looking into her eyes he asked, “Last chance to change your mind baby. Are you sure you want this?”

She stared back at him, her gaze never wavering, “Fuck me….now!”

He smirked back at her, he loved that she knew what she wanted. He kissed her and then pulled himself back up, keeping his hands on her thighs so he could keep her legs in place, he pulled out and slammed back into her. The action was forceful, and she was not anticipating it, the gasp she let out was evident of that. He pulled out again just as quickly and thrust back into her at the same pace. Again the gasp was enough to tell him that she was not anticipating his force.

“Oh….God...Chris….fuck….that feels so good….”

He let out a grunt, this pace made her feel good, but the tightening in his balls let him know that he was about to explode. “Shit….sorry...FUCK.”

As he began to cum he could feel her walls spasm, she wasn’t able to hold out either, the two of them climaxed together, and it was utterly fantastic. He began to collapse forward, again arms braced on either side of her; he was still hard, and he had not pulled out. Matter of fact, she was milking him, and it felt so good he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t cum a second time.

“Just so you know,” he tried to get out the words, but he was out of breath, “I don’t…um…”

She started to laugh, “No need to explain and please don’t apologize. Just tell me you are up for round two?”

“Yeah, I’m ready for round two, but I’m not going to stand here all night,” he said and pulled out of her. He didn’t want to, and she didn’t want to let him go. Her walls were clenching him tight, and it felt so good, but he wanted to change things up and had no intention of fucking her on the side of the bed all night long.

He went to the large picture window in the bedroom and pulled the curtains open, revealing the fantastic view of the river and the Chicago skyline. He looked back over at the bed, she had not moved. “How do you like this view,” he asked.

She rolled to her side, feeling her wetness slide down her thigh, “I could get used to the view, there is no doubt about that. Oh, and the skyline looks nice all lit up.”

He smiled, catching that she was admiring his body as the view. His cock still hard and his body glistening with sweat. He began to walk back over towards the bed, “You don’t have an issue with leaving the window open, do you?”

“No, we don’t have lights on so they can’t see us,” she declared proudly, “Is this your kink, Chris?”

“I don’t really have a kink, Sabrina. But the view is beautiful, the lights provide the perfect glow for me to see you and watch you without having lights on in this room. Because don’t think I don’t want to look at your body while I have my way with you.”

“What makes you think I’ll let you have your way with me?”

“Well, I don’t see you getting up and heading for the door,” He took a few more steps, he was right next to the bed. Running his fingers along her arm and down her back, “I would think if you didn’t want me to continue taking care of you, that you would want to leave, right? So, since you are still here, how about getting up on your knees beautiful? I’ll let you keep an eye on your city and your buildings while I give you what you need.”

His voice was seductive, and she had to admit that this was a turn on. She was so used to being in control of every aspect of her life that to have him take control of this was a nice change of pace. There was a difference between him being a Dom and just being in control for the night. She was willingly letting him do what he wanted tonight, but she was not letting him dominate her.

She sat up on the bed, and she felt it dip as he came up behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders and slowly ran them down her arms, the soft touch was sensual and erotic, and her flesh began to prickle at his touch. He then placed his hands on her hips and began kissing down her neck, alternating from side to side. He then began to kiss down her spine, and he gently moved one hand to her back to help guide her down.

“Rest on your elbows, baby, and put that beautiful ass of yours in the air for me,” his voice was low and almost a velvety growl. She did as he asked and without hesitation. He ran his finger along her delicate folds, “You are still so wet, and you know what I’m going to do to you, right?”

She didn’t respond. Instead, she moaned an acknowledgment and nodded her head. It was at that moment she felt him slide into her; she was so wet there was no resistance, and she wouldn’t be fighting it anyway. He didn’t have to wait for her to get used to him this time; no he immediately began to pump into her. His pace was varied, long and slow and then short and fast, alternating between the two. When he would do the sharp thrust, he would know exactly where to hit so that she would have the maximum pleasure. She was panting and continually praying, or at least she was saying “Oh God” quite a bit.

His hands were on her hips so he could control the pace of his thrusts and her grinding. But he   
knew she was close, and he knew the sensation from this angle was different than the first time. He loved to watch her body bounce against his with every thrust, but he couldn’t remove his hands.

“Baby, play with your clit,” he said in between thrusts, “I want you to cum for me, Sabrina. I want to feel you.”

She didn’t answer him or say a word. She moved so that she could brace herself and reached between her legs to her swollen clit. The idea of playing with it while he was pumping in and out of her; well the idea alone was enough to make her cum. She began tracing circles on her clit and almost immediately the quakes of her orgasm overtook her. This orgasm was more intense than her first one, “God! Oh, Chris…I’m cumming.”

“I know, baby, that’s a good girl,” he said in response. This time, he was able to hold out, and he was not about to let go now. He moved his hands from her hips to her shoulders, providing a little more leverage as he pushed deeper and deeper into her. He wanted to get into her as far as he could; no way to explain it but he could not get enough of this woman.

With this shift in movement, it wasn’t long, and he was over the edge. The ache in his cock and the tightening in his balls let him know that he was ready to explode. And that is precisely what he did, one more thrust and he stilled as he let go. He collapsed on her back, trying to keep from putting his weight on her. “Fuck, that was intense,” he said and then kissed her back and shoulders.

He pulled out slowly and then patted her ass, “I’ll be right back.” He padded off to the bathroom where he removed the condom, tied it off and disposed of it. He took a minute to wash up and then ran the warm water and took a wash rag and a towel into the bedroom.

Sabrina had collapsed onto the bed, she was tired and worn out, but she had a smile on her face that could not be denied. He wanted to admire his handy work, but he knew that if he stood there for too long, the warm rag in his hand would get cold, and that would be so unfair.

He approached the bed and gently tapped at her leg, “Let me clean you up a little,” he said to her softly. She moaned in protest but did move to roll onto her back. He gently parted her legs and started to wipe her up. “You need to go to the bathroom, but I wanted to try and clean you up first,” he offered.

“That is awfully considerate of you,” she responded back to him.

“Yeah, well I can be that kind of guy you know,” he said and then used the towel to dry off her legs. “Can you sit up?” He offered her his hand, and she sat up, “I can’t believe I didn’t free those beauties,” he said pointing to her bra that she was still wearing.

She reached around to her back and unhooked the clasp, letting the bra fall forward. “There, now they’re free,” she said seductively.

“Dear God they are,” he said in response, “But before I get turned on again and play with those, get up and go to the bathroom, baby. Be a good girl, okay?”

~ * ~

Sabrina walked out of the bathroom and noticed that Chris was waiting for her on the side of the bed. He was sitting with his elbows on his knees and his head resting in his hands. When he heard the click of the bathroom light, he looked up; the light filtering into the room from the open window provided the perfect shadow for her. He had to admit it, she was a beautiful woman. It wasn’t just an external beauty; this woman had grace and power, and she was wrapped in the perfect package. He knew she was older than he was, Audrey took care to tell him that, as if it would matter. All he cared about at this moment in time, was getting her back into bed with him; he wanted to ignore the fact that he was going to have to leave the city the next day. No, right now all he wanted to do was to just be wrapped up with her.

He stood from the bed, took a long stride and wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. He immediately crushed his lips against hers and pushed his tongue into her mouth. He wanted every bit of her mouth as his; who was he kidding, he wanted every part of her body as his. His other hand held her face as he continued to kiss her. Their kisses became more passionate, and he could tell that desire was every bit as strong as his.

“You’re beautiful, you know that?” He says as he breaks the kiss and looks into her eyes.

“You’re not so bad yourself, Tigger,” she said with a dazzling smile.

“Why Tigger? Is it because I’m bouncy and fun?” He couldn’t control his laughter at this point.

“Well, that and because you are obviously the only one.”

“The only one?” He was a little concerned with that comment, it sounded like she was taking this a little too seriously and that could be bad news.

“Let’s just say, you’re the only one who has given me such intense orgasms,” she leaned forward to kiss him again and this time, her hands wandered to grab ahold of his cock and began massaging him. It didn’t take long for him to become fully erect and hard, just the way she liked it.

“Don’t start something if you aren’t going to finish it,” he growled against her neck. Her hands were amazing, she knew just how to handle him, and he found himself praying she would quickly move to put him in her mouth.

“Oh, I never start something that I don’t intend to finish. But let me ask you something, do you think you can stay standing when I begin to rock your world, or do you think you might need to lay down?”

He swallowed hard, her voice was alluring, and he had to admit that he was not quite sure what to expect from her. He might need to lay down, “I’m pretty strong, you don’t think I could stand here and take it?” He asked, trying to sound as if he was offended that she would question his manhood.

She ran her finger down his chest, playing with his chest hair, “Oh, I know you’re strong, you showed me that on the dance floor. But I’ve brought bigger men to their knees before.” With a gentle push of her finger, she had him splayed out on the bed without resistance. “You might want to move up a little on the bed, Tigger. If you want to watch what I do to you, well you will need a better angle.”

Chris hastily moved up on the bed and propped his head on the pillows. Sabrina positioned herself on her knees, next to his hips. She began playing with his cock, running her hands up and down slowly. She knew it was torture on hm. Her hair, which had been in an updo, was starting to fall. She pushed it out of the way and leaned over and opened her lips, taking him into her mouth slowly. No tongue at first, just taking in all of him that she could and then pulling off of him.

“Oh sweet Jesus,” was the response that she got from him.

This time, she repeated the action, but she used her tongue and teeth; she felt his hips begin to buck. She began to lick around the rim of his cock, sucking and teasing – he tasted so good. This only made her want him more. She continued to work on him, and she had moved her body so she could look up and see his face; his eyes were closed, and his head was back.

As she licked and sucked, she began massaging his balls. His groans became more intense and then suddenly his hips began to buck. He wanted to increase the pace of her mouth on him and the only way to do that was to take over. He pushed past her lips, she didn’t gag and took all of him in.

“Holy fuck,” he let out when he realized this, “Oh, Sabrina….oh…damn that feels so good.”

To intensify his pleasure, she began to hum as she worked her tongue along his shaft. He was enjoying it, and she could sense that he was about to reach his release. She prepared herself to take him, she wasn’t going to shy away from this. For all that she was turning him on, he was doing the exact same to her. He tried to warn her, “Stop, I don’t want to cum in your mouth.”

She didn’t let him pull out. Instead, she placed her hands on his hips to hold him steady and made it clear she was not pulling her mouth away. She looked up and made eye contact with him, and he looked as if he was embarrassed for what he was about to do. He let out a loud groan and released himself; she took it all, not spilling a drop. As she sat up, Chris reached for her arms and pulled her towards him. He crushed his lips to hers, tasting himself on her lips and tongue. There was something erotic about that, and he couldn’t deny it.

“That was incredible,” Chris said as he broke the kiss and pulled her down on top of him. Her head coming to rest on his shoulder. “And you’re right, I don’t think I could have stayed upright.”

Sabrina started to laugh, “I’m sure you would have given it a valiant effort, though.”

The two of them lay there, heavy breathing and trying to calm their heart rates. They had been going practically non-stop since they came into the room and they needed a moment to catch their breath. Sabrina began to move, wanting to shift from being on top of Chris to being alongside him. As she began to shift her weight, his hands reached up and grabbed her arms; not hard, but the action let her know he didn’t want her moving.

“Where are you going?” He asked, and she thought she detected a bit of concern in his voice.

“I figured you wouldn’t want me to just stay here on top of you,” she responded, raising her head and looking up into his blue eyes that she was sure were clouding over.

“You figured wrong,” he said, “I like you being on top, it provides an excellent view.”

“Chris, I’m lying down, there is no view.”

“My intention if for you to not be lying there for long,” he said with a husky tone in his voice and she could see that it wasn’t that his eyes were clouding over. No, it was a devilish gaze.

She moved her body, positioning herself so that she folded her arms on his chest and rested her chin on her arms. Looking up at him she smiled, “I think Tigger is the wrong name for you after all. I think I need to just think of you as my own personal Energizer bunny since you seem to just keep going and going.”

“Yeah, well it is all your fault, beautiful.”

“Flattery isn’t necessary, Chris. You’ve already had your way with me, several times I might add.”

“Not that I’m counting, but I’m pretty sure I’ve made you cum at least three times already, and I’m about ready to make you do it again,” he wiggled his eyebrows and gave her a smirk.

“You seem mighty confident, what makes you think you can actually do it?” She was positive he could do it, there was no doubt about it. But she didn’t want him to think he had the upper hand completely. No, if he wanted her to cum again, he was going to have to work for it because she wanted to enjoy it if this was going to be the last time she was going to be with him.

“Well, you’re still here so I’ve been doing something right,” he chuckled as he tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, “Or, are you telling me that I don’t really satisfy you?”

She bit her lip, deciding to play along and give him a challenge, “I didn’t exactly say you don’t satisfy me.”

“Well, I’m always up for a challenge. I have a number in mind, beautiful. Wanna see if you can last?”

“See if I can last? What’s that supposed to mean?” She was intrigued.

“How many times you cum before you scream for mercy.”

“Ok, bunny, your challenge is accepted. Are you sure you have enough condoms to get through the rest of the night?”

“Oh, I’ll show you bunny,” he said rolling her so that he was now over her. He leaned down and kissed her; soft, sensual, and erotic all rolled into one. He took one hand and reached down between her legs, parting her delicate and soft folds, “Oh my girl is wet and ready to play.”

He pulled his hand away from her wet mound and licked his fingers; she was so turned on and could feel herself get wetter. Damn he was good. He kissed her again and then began to kiss down her neck and then took the time to caress and kiss each breast. Sucking on each nipple, biting and nipping and making her back arch off of the bed. The intense pleasure was maddening; this was unlike any lover she had ever had before.

He worked his way down her stomach and as he got to her hips, he repositioned himself; sliding further down the bed. He moved her legs a little further apart and crouched down so that he could slide his hands up under her hips; elevating her body just a little. He placed soft kisses on the inside of her thighs, alternating between the right and left side. She began to squirm, and he began to smile.

He was careful not to touch her warm and wet center. He knew she was dying for some sort of contact, but he wasn’t quite ready for that yet. He was all about making her beg; she had questioned his confidence, and that was something he would make her take back. No, torture was the name of the game – slow, sweet torture. He blew softly on her delicate folds, knowing the contrast in the air would make her gasp; and it did.

“Oh, Chris, please,” she started to beg; earlier than he had anticipated.

“Please, what?” He smirked, acting as if he had no idea what she was talking about.

“Please, don’t torture me…”

“You have to tell me what you want,” he said as he went back to kissing her thighs and blowing on her aching pussy.

“Don’t make me say it…just do it…I’m begging you…”

“No, I think you need to tell me, Sabrina. I don’t want to do it wrong, you need to tell me what it is you really want.”

“Oh…fuck…Chris…please…” Sabrina was breathless and was barely holding on. She was starting to buck her hips in the hopes of getting closer to him, she needed him. “I want your tongue on me…now….oh God, please.”

“Well, that sounded an awful lot like begging. But I like that you told me what you wanted.” And with that, he moved his head closer and began to attack her clit with his tongue. Alternating between licks and pulling it into his mouth and sucking on it. Her moans and whimpers let him know that she was enjoying it.

He slowly lowered her back to the bed and moved his hand so that while he serviced her clit he could push his fingers inside of her. He wanted to do this slowly, he gently parted her lips and slid one finger inside. Her hips bucked to the penetration and the change in sensation. She also let out a resounding, “Oh God, yes!”

He pumped his finger in rhythm with his tongue and then added a second finger. Her response of, “Oh, fuck,” let him know that she approved. It was about this time that he felt her hands on his head; pulling on his hair for leverage in an attempt to get closer to his tongue and mouth. He took the hint and began to pump his fingers faster, and he could feel her walls begin to tremble.

The orgasm washed over her, and he did not let up. He could feel her body trying to pull away, and he held her tighter and continued to assault her clit with his tongue. “Oh, God, Chris….oh…..fuck….yes!”

He pulled away and Sabrina was panting. She was also acutely sensitive; he blew on her clit, and she shuttered. He licked up her body and kissed her, “Are you begging for mercy yet?”

She shook her head from side to side, “No, is that all you got?”

He began to laugh, “Oh what a naughty girl you are.” He then started to get off the bed.

“Where are you going? We better not be done?” Sabrina yelled.

“No, baby, we’re not done. Give me just a minute,” Chris responded.

A minute later, he returned to the bedroom and went to the bedside table to retrieve a condom package. He ripped it open and before he could roll it on, Sabrina grabbed it from his hand, “Let me.”

She rolled it on, and he had to admit it was sexy to watch her long, manicured nails slide the condom down his shaft. She then ran those fingers up his torso, around his neck and pulled him toward her for a passionate kiss. As she pulled out of the kiss, she whispered in his ear, “Now, I want you to fuck me, hard.”

Chris did not say anything in response. Instead, he lowered Sabrina back on the bed. Situating himself between her legs, raising each knee up and pushing her legs out just a little; providing himself the right access. He then drove into her; she instinctively reached up to wrap her arms around him.

He began to thrust his hips, pumping in and out of her furiously. Her first orgasm was quick, and she could barely catch her breath. He was able to hold off his own, although his cock was hard and his balls were aching. He was sure he had never been so hard in his entire life. She was like a vice, squeezing him and providing so much pain but it felt so damn good.

Her second orgasm at least came with a warning, but it was no less intense than the first one. This time, he couldn’t hold out, he shot off like a rocket, and he was actually afraid the condom might come off. He figured he should pull out to check, but the pleasure was so fucking good that he would just face the consequences. He wasn’t about to stop; she was now a drug he wasn't willing to quit.

He needed to push harder, he literally felt as if he could get further inside her. So much so, he was prepared to endure the pain, he rolled over and slid the two of the off of the bed and onto the floor. But he didn’t stop his thrusts, the hard floor provided the firm backing he needed to push harder, and that is what he did. His grunts and moans were matched with hers.

“Oh….fuck...Chris…”

He reached up and pulled her breast into his mouth, biting her nipple and sending her over the edge again. By his count, three orgasms and she was milking him hard with this one. That only made him thrust harder, she was so tight, and it felt so good.

“Sabrina….baby….oh….fuck….yeah….”

His final thrusts were so hard; they both came at the same time, and their cries of ecstasy were in unison. Sabrina could no longer keep herself upright, she collapsed on his chest, unable to move and barely able to catch her breath. Chris was holding onto her, keeping her in place and unable to make a move, either.

As his eyes opened, he was not exactly sure what time it was, or exactly where he was. His head was foggy, and he couldn’t see straight; there was a weight pushing down on his body, it was Sabrina lying on top of him, his arms around her, holding her in position and he was still inside her. It was then that he remembered what had happened; their last orgasm was so intense, they had each passed out – he was only just now coming back around.

“Shit, that was intense,” was the only thought that crossed his mind at the moment.

Suddenly, his mind flipped back around to realize he was not in bed, they were lying on the floor. That and he didn’t want to pull out of her, he was actually comfortable. He was able to reach back around and grab the sheet from the bed and pull it down on top of them. He was content with lying there the rest of the night with this elegant woman; he had no desire to actually know the time because it would force him to think about how much time he had left in the night. He was dreading the morning because it would mean she would leave and he would have to check out of the hotel and catch a plane back to LA; and right now, this felt like home to him.

When you feel as if you are home, you make sure you let the one you love know it. He wasn’t certain he was ready to use ‘that’ word yet; it’s way too early to think of something like that. But he knew he felt comfortable with her, he really felt at home with her; it was a feeling he didn’t want to let go of. It wasn’t fleeting, and this wasn’t the anxious thoughts of a horny teenage boy either. What he did know for sure was that she was his girl, a stake he was ready to claim. So, he gently raised his head and placed a soft, gentle kiss on the top of her head. Sabrina never stirred, but he was almost positive he saw her smile.


	8. Chapter 8

Her eyes fluttered open, and Sabrina Burnham had no idea where she was, it took her a moment to get her bearings and realize she wasn’t even on a bed. No, she was naked and enveloped in the arms of a man, and she was on top of him. She tried to move and realized they were still connected, he was still inside her! As she moved, she realized he was actually semi-erect, and this could make uncoupling kind of interesting. It took a few minutes for her to carefully maneuver enough to get out of his arms and be able to see his face; she was then able to see she was entangled with Chris. Now the night was coming back to her. She remembered him telling her she would have to beg for mercy; she never did, but they had evidently passed out right after a vigorous round of sex. They were together, in every sense of the word, and on the floor.

She did her best to wiggle free and move off of him without starting the next round of sexual play. It was a little harder than it sounded; they were both sweaty and a little messy, which made their skin want to stick to one another. She wasn’t entirely uncomfortable lying there on top of him, but she felt that since she was awake that it best that she move off of him. He did move a little once she was off of him, turning to his side and tangling in the bedsheet some. She just watched him, staring at his sleeping figure and taking in every part of him; he was a sight to behold.

She rolled to her side, her back to him and snuggled against him, allowing herself to drift back to sleep. Instinctively, his arm wrapped around her, as if he was holding her in place and keeping her close.

~ ~ ~

The alarm from his cell phone began to chime, and it woke him immediately. Chris realized he was entangled in the bedsheet with Sabrina, on the floor, next to his hotel bed. At some point during the night, she had rolled off of hm, and he had slid out of her. She had not gone far, though, she was curled up next to him, not that he was complaining. Her hair was cascading over her cheek, and he still thought she looked like an angel. He could stare at her all day if time allowed. But his alarm was a progressive alarm, and it would start to get louder any moment, after all, he had a tendency to actually sleep through them. This meant, if he didn’t want to wake his angel, he needed to get up and find his phone. He had one minor problem, though, his legs didn’t want to cooperate. It was at this moment that he began to think that maybe, just maybe, he was a little over-enthusiastic last night.

He was finally able to move, he noticed his pants were on the floor at the far end of the dresser. Not far from where he was, but when you were in the state he was in, far enough. He was able to get out from under the cover and without disturbing Sabrina. The realization hit him that not only was he sore, he was sticky and still had on the condom from last night’s festivities; he was messy but not complaining. He just knew it would be best not to make any sudden movements. He was able to get to a position where he could crawl to the end of the dresser and grab his pants, and ultimately, his phone before the next alarm sounded. The clock showed it was 8:22 am.

His plane would depart from O’Hare at 3:40 pm but the hotel checkout time was noon. Since he was awake and moving, he might as well get to the bathroom and clean up. He could get his shower while Sabrina slept, he didn’t want to wake her until he absolutely had to. He made it to his feet and moved slowly toward the bathroom; he quietly shut the door before clicking on the light. He had to laugh, he was so concerned about the light bothering Sabrina or waking her up when he forgot that the windows to the hotel room were wide open. He was so worried about turning the alarm off that he didn’t even realize he was walking around exposed to an open window. He disposed of his condom, started the shower and gingerly stepped under the steaming hot water. He braced himself against the wall and let the hot water rain down on him; it felt so good on his sore muscles, and he didn’t really want to move. His mind began to wander back to the events of the previous night – the way Sabrina looked at the reception, the way it felt to dance with her, and the way she felt when he was moving inside of her. He was starting to get hard, and he was going to need to turn the shower to cold water in a minute.

~ ~ ~  
Sabrina heard the faint chime of what sounded like an alarm; she opened her eyes but did not move. She could feel Chris trying to gingerly move his body from hers and to get untangled from the bedsheet. He was trying so hard to be quiet and to make small movements and not wake her, she didn’t want to move and startle him. She turned her head and watched him move toward his pants and retrieve his phone and then head towards the bathroom. Once he was out of the room, she sat up and tried to locate her own phone. She noticed her purse was on the top of the dresser, so she knew she had to head in that direction. She pulled herself up off the floor, using the bed for leverage, and took tiny steps to the dresser with the bedsheet wrapped around her body. She opened her purse, retrieving her phone, and sat on the edge of the bed, dialing Audrey’s number.

“Good Morning, did you have a good time at the wedding?” Audrey’s voice was annoyingly chipper.

Sabrina responded with her voice barely audible, “I need your help, I need clothes so I can leave the hotel. Can you please help me out?”

“I’m sorry, I can barely hear you,” Audrey heard her just fine, but she was going to make Sabrina suffer and repeat herself.

“I need you to bring me clothes,” again her voice barely above a whisper, “I can’t walk out of here in the dress from last night.”

“Sabrina, are you alright? I can barely hear you, but it sounds to me like you are asking for clothes because you are in Chris’ hotel room, and you don’t want to do the walk of shame in your dress from last night. Audrey couldn’t hold back, she was starting to giggle as she said the words.

“Bitch! You can hear me just fine! I’m whispering because he’s in the bathroom and I don’t want him to hear me on the phone,” just then she heard the sound of the shower, she figured it would be safe to speak up just a little since the water would block out her voice. “He just started the shower, do you think you could hurry?”

“You don’t think he’d noticed me popping in with clothes for you?”

“If you hurry up about it, I can probably get the bag from you while he’s still in the shower.”

“Yeah, not going to happen, you have to remember that I need to go to your place to pick stuff up and then come back to the hotel. He isn’t going to take a thirty-minute shower,” she paused for a moment and decided to offer a suggestion, “Unless you want to join him and keep him occupied.”

“What? No, because that defeats the purpose of me letting you in while he’s in the shower! Damn it, Audrey, can you save the ‘I told you so’ for later?”

“So you’ll acknowledge that I was right? Okay, I’ll be over, what’s the room number?”

Sabrina gave her the information and then hung up. While she waited for Audrey to show up, she moved around the room to pick up her dress, garter, nylons, panties, and shoes. She put them all in a neat pile on top of the dresser. She then went around and picked up his shirt, pants, and boxers and piled them up for him. Sabrina sat back down on the king-sized bed and let her mind go back to the events of last night. She had truly let herself go with him; the structured and proper businesswoman, the closed off and emotionally distant woman who never let men get to her, that woman was nowhere to be found last night. For some reason, she had lost all inhibitions with Chris and allowed herself to cut loose; she was vocal about what she wanted and what she liked. She was now wrestling with her identity because that side of Sabrina was different, and she had to admit, she liked her. As she reveled in the afterglow of last night, she heard a faint knock at the door, Audrey was there.

She shuffled across the room and opened the door just enough to reach out to get the bag, “Thanks,” she said as she reached out for it, but Audrey did not offer it to her.

“No, you need to let me in,” Audrey was not going to let her get away with this so easily.

“Fuck, Audrey just give me the bag, and you can give me shit about it later.”

“Oh no, I want to enjoy this now. Let me in or you don’t get the bag.”

Just then the bathroom door opened, and Chris appeared, a towel wrapped around his waist, leaning against the door jamb with this arms crossed, “Is there a problem?”

Sabrina jumped at the sound of his voice, she was definitely not anticipating him opening the door. “Um, no, Audrey just stopped by to bring me a bag of clothes so I could, um take a shower and freshen up this morning.”

Chris moved so he could see out the door, “Hey, morning Audrey, why don’t you come in a minute?”

“Oh, I don’t want to interrupt anything,” she said as if she was really concerned with that.

Sabrina rolled her eyes, Chris couldn’t see her do it but Audrey could. She stood back, opened the door and let Audrey walk in. Sabrina grabbed the bag from Audrey’s hand as she walked past and shut the door behind her. Chris watched this exchange with amusement, he figured something was going on between these two, but he had no idea what. He was sure he would get the details later.

As Sabrina started to turn to walk back into the room, he reached for her arm to stop her, “Morning, beautiful,” the words were barely out of his mouth before he put his lips to hers. She melted into him, dropping her bag and wrapping her arms around him. He broke from the kiss, staring into her eyes and smiling, “Would you be willing to go get some clothes for me? Boxers, socks, and jeans are in the dresser, but my shirts are in the closet.”

She gave him another kiss, “Sure, I’ll be right back. Will you put that in the bathroom under the counter? I’m gonna take a shower when you are finished.”

He smiled, picked up the bag and put in the bathroom as she moved to go get his clothes. Sabrina noticed that Audrey was watching her every move with rapt attention, although she said nothing. Sabrina got his things and delivered them back to the bathroom, taking the opportunity to steal another kiss before pulling the bathroom door closed and walking back into the room to face Audrey.

“Well, you two certainly seem cozy,” Audrey could not help herself.

“You got here awfully quick with the bag. How exactly did you manage that?” Sabrina did not hide her anger.

Audrey started to laugh, “I’ll admit it, I packed a bag for you last night after you left. I knew you would end up in his room, the sexual tension between you two has been off the chart.”

“So, there it is, the ‘I told you so’ that you have been dying to get out.”

As Audrey was preparing to respond, the bathroom door opened, and Chris walked out. For once, it was Audrey’s breath that caught when she saw him; his hair was still damp and mussed.

He noticed that the two ladies quit talking the minute they saw him; he had heard their escalating voices when he had opened the door. “Ladies, please, don’t stop arguing on my account,” he quipped.

“We’re not arguing,” Sabrina replied, giving a death stare to Audrey, “Just having a healthy debate over logistics.”

“Oh, I see,” Chris strode across the room and moved up behind her, placing an arm around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. “The bathroom is all yours, I guess you might want to get out of this sheet.”

“Um…yeah…thanks,” she fumbled and seemed to be a tad uncomfortable all of a sudden with his touch, “Excuse me.” She turned and began to walk toward the bathroom and seemed unaware that he was following her. As she crossed the threshold of the bathroom, she felt the sheet pull away from her body. She let out a shriek and turned to see Chris grinning as he pulled the bathroom door closed.

He was laughing as he walked back toward Audrey, balling the sheet up and tossing it into the middle of the bed. “So, why exactly were you having a heated discussion about logistics?” He asked curiously.

“You seem awfully comfortable with her, Chris. I take it that you two had a very good time last night?” Audrey motioned around the room as evidence of her statement.

“You’re dodging my question, Audrey. What’s the issue between the two of you?”

“It’s nothing. I mean not only are you comfortable with her, but she's also really comfortable with you. I don’t think I’ve seen her this relaxed in…well, I don’t know how long.”

“You’re lying…it’s something…what aren’t you telling me?”

“Fine, she hates it when I’m right, and I remind her that I’m right.”

“So you said, ‘I told you so?’ Oh, that would piss me off too.”

“Well, she deserves it from time to time; she needs to be knocked down a peg or two,” Audrey let out a laugh so her comment didn’t seem so full of venom. “Anyway, you two had a good time, right? The room says you had a good time, anyway.”

“It was wonderful, so wonderful that I’m half tempted to call and cancel my flight and stay in Chicago for a few days. The problem is, I don’t know if she would want me to. I have no idea how to read her.”

“Whoa! Do I hear you right? Seriously, you have feelings here, Chris? Are these, like real feelings or is this just afterglow of some incredible sex feelings?”

“I’m not kissing and telling, Audrey,” he said as he ran his fingers through his hair and walked toward the windows to gaze over the river, “I’m not some teenager all giddy after having sex for the first time. I just know she seems a little nervous about being with me,” he turned back to face her, “She made a comment about not liking my kind of attention.”

“What was that supposed to mean?

“She said she didn’t like that I’m photographed all the time. I guess she is referring to the paparazzi? I’m not sure what she meant unless she doesn’t like to be photographed.”

“Ok, that is ridiculous, do you know how often her picture is taken? She is constantly in the newspaper or in magazines.”

Chris said nothing more, he dropped his head and turned to look back out the window. Now the thought came creeping back into his mind that Sabrina might be embarrassed to be seen with him. Why else would she make a comment about pictures being taken if she is regularly photographed anyway? “Yeah, I guess that’s not it then.”

Audrey could sense that something else was bothering him, but she wasn’t going to push it. Instead, she decided to change the subject, “So, did you two dance?”

“Yeah, we danced. I had no idea she used to do it competitively; wow, she is wicked talented,” Chris turned back to look at her, “We danced this sensual dance but I’m telling you the music selection and the movements, well it made it feel like it meant something.”

“I think you’re reading too much into it, I’m sure it was just a dance.”

“No, I’m telling you, there was more to it. I could see it in her eyes and feel it in her touch; there was more to it. We had a connection, physical and chemical, it was real, Audrey.”

“Wasn’t it just foreplay? I mean you had sexual energy that manifested itself and this time you acted on it and ended up here in the bedroom, that’s all.”

“NO! You weren’t there, it was more than that. Why won’t you believe me when I tell you this?”

“Wow, you are pretty adamant about this, aren’t you? You honestly think that the two of you have a connection, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do,” he put his hands in his pockets and walked over to the oversized chair sitting in the corner and sat down. “I believe that something happened between us last night, and I sincerely hope I am not the only one who felt it. The only thing is, I’m just not sure what it is that I felt.”

“You need to ask her; you do realize that the two of you need to talk about this, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll…um…,” he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, “I’ll speak to her, yes.”

“Good, but just prepare yourself now to be disappointed because Sabrina Burnham does not do chemical and physical connections.”

Chris lowered his arms in frustration and disgust, “You know, Audrey, if you’re just gonna rain on my parade, you can leave now.”

“Hey I’m just trying to keep you grounded,” he gave her a pouty look, like a child who didn’t like that his parents had said no to the idea of a new puppy. “Don’t give me that look, your head is in the clouds, and you need a dose of reality. I just want to make sure you know the score going in.”

“Sure, but could you sugar coat it next time? Or better yet, let me enjoy it for a bit before popping my damn balloon?”

It was during this time that Sabrina exited the bathroom and noticed their intense conversation, “Don’t quit arguing on my account, I can give you guys some privacy if you need it.”

Chris quickly stood up, “No, you’re fine, we’re just having our own spirited conversation.”

Audrey watched Chris and then turned to look at Sabrina. As much as she didn’t want to believe what Chris had said earlier, it was clearly evident that there was something between the two of them other than being bedmates the night before. She knew that Sabrina wouldn’t want to talk about it with him being within earshot, but she wanted to get her friend to tell her what her real feelings were about the Chris situation. Audrey had to get out of the room, she was starting to suffocate, and there was no way she could tell either one of them why.

“Guys, look, I’m going to leave you two alone, I’m sure you’ve got things to talk about,” Audrey started for the door and kept her head down, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Sabrina and I’ll talk to you later, Chris.” She walked out the door and closed it quietly behind her.

Sabrina had turned to watch Audrey leave, and she could sense that something wasn’t settling right, “Chris, what were you two arguing about?” She turned to face him, her concern evident.

“We disagreed over you,” he figured he would be honest with her since he was about to leave and this was potentially the end of his time with Sabrina. He took the few steps toward her, enveloping her in his arms and gazing into her eyes, “I don’t want to get into that right now, though. I only have a little time left before I have to check out of this room and head to the airport. I prefer that we not fight and end, what I think to be a glorious night, on a bad note.”

“What time is check out?”

“Noon, and right now it is already after 10, and I still need to pack. Because honestly, with Audrey gone, I would love nothing more than to shimmy you out of your clothes,” he bent down and began kissing her neck as she tilted it to the side to give him all the access needed.

“Um…Chris…I hate to interrupt what you’re doing…but,” she was having a hard time maintaining her composure with his soft lips on her skin, “Um…what if you came back to my place?”

He immediately stopped what he was doing and looked into her eyes, “You mean until my flight leaves? Um, yeah, that could give us some time,” his eyebrows shot up as the possibilities because it would provide them with a few hours.

“Is there something you have to rush home for? Could you potentially reschedule your flight and stay in town for a few more days?”

Chris was suddenly worried that Sabrina had overheard the conversation with Audrey and wonders if she is making this suggestion because she wants to or because she is trying to make a point. He wanted to ask but was almost afraid to know the answer. He decided to go ahead and ask because he would rather know than to have it nag at him for the next few days, “Why are you asking me to stay? Did you hear the conversation I had with Audrey?”

“I didn’t hear your conversation, I swear. I’m asking you to stay because I don’t think I’m ready to let you leave,” she placed her hands on his chest and looked up into his beautiful blue eyes, “I’m not sure how it is that you just seem to understand me. You’re distinctly different from the men I’ve been with before; you scare me and thrill me at the same time if that makes any sense at all.”

“I don’t want to scare you, that isn’t my intention.”

“It scares me to have feelings that I’ve never had and don’t know how to control. The only thing I do know for certain, I want to hide away in my place with you and not get out of bed.”

This brought a smile to his face, “You actually mean that don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do,” she was beginning to blush, again something that did not happen often but seemed to be a regular occurrence in his presence. “I hated calling Audrey this morning, but I have a reputation to uphold, and I couldn’t be seen leaving the hotel with you today wearing the dress I came in wearing last night,” she started to laugh as she finished her sentence.

“Ah, yes, we couldn’t let the great Sabrina Burnham have a walk of shame, now could we?” He leaned over to kiss her, the sexual tension beginning to build between them again. He was teasing her, and she was letting him, the banter was just something else that was becoming comfortable for her.

Sabrina allowed herself to be peeled away from his embrace so that he could call and reschedule his flight. Chris had to be in LA for a meeting on Wednesday so he was going to have to leave on Tuesday to get home. This would provide at least an additional day of play for the two of them. The new flight would leave at 10:30 on Tuesday morning, which meant Sabrina could wake up with him on Tuesday and when he left for the airport, she could go to the office.

While he made the flight changes, she packed his bag and gathered his things from the bathroom. She would have his things laundered when they got to her place; he wouldn’t need his clothes anyway as far as she was concerned. He watched with delight as she fluttered around the hotel room; he wondered if she had done this for anyone else and then forced that out of his mind. He didn’t want to consider any of the ‘boy toys’ she might have had in the past or the men she had brought to their knees; right now he wanted to consider the possibility that he might be the only one.

Once the flight changes were complete, he completed his checkout using the system on the TV; he didn’t want to stand at the desk downstairs and bring attention to himself or to Sabrina. The process took all of five minutes, they could leave the hotel room keys on the dresser and his receipt would be emailed to him. He helped Sabrina get the final things in the bag and zipped it up. She grabbed her phone, dialed a number and walked toward the window, he couldn’t hear what she was saying, but when she hung up, she was smiling.

“There will be a car waiting for us when we get downstairs. You want to do one more walk through to make sure you have everything?”

Once they were sure that nothing was left behind, Chris and Sabrina exited the hotel room and walked to the elevator. As they entered the car, Sabrina slid her arm around his waist and snuggled against him. She was no longer concerned with the display of affection, no instead she actually craved it. He didn’t object to her touch; in fact, he pulled her as tight as he could and kissed her head. They didn’t need to speak words, their actions were saying it all.

The elevator chimed to indicate they had reached the lobby, Chris anticipated that she would release her hold on him so that they were not on public display. To his surprise, she did not; she did move to hold his hand versus keeping her arm around him, though. He was amazed at how commanding she was walking through the lobby with her head up, as if she owned the place. No one was paying them any attention, but Sabrina had a confidence about her that turned him on, there was no denying that.

They exited the hotel and, as she had promised, there was a car waiting for them. The driver was waiting near the back passenger door, ready to open it and greet them. With only a nod, he opened the door and reached to accept their bags. Once they were safely in the back, he closed the door, put their bags in the trunk and began the drive to Sabrina’s home.

“Ms. Burnham,” the driver said as they pulled from the curb, “The elevator in the parking garage to the Penthouse level is being serviced today. There was an issue last evening for Mr. Cassiday I’m afraid. I’ve been advised you will have to use the main lobby; security wanted me to convey their apologies for any inconvenience.”

“Thank you, Randall. I hope that the issue for Mr. Cassiday was nothing serious?”

“No, ma’am it was not, he suffered a minor delay; he was stuck in between floors for approximately five minutes or so.”

“Ok, thank you,” Sabrina looked over at Chris and gave him a half-hearted smile, “Well, at least I can introduce you to security so if they see you in the building or on my floor, they aren’t wondering why you are there.”

As they pulled up in front of the building, Chris saw the sign and had to chuckle, “So, you actually live in the Aqua building? Wow, this building is haunting me, you realize that, right?”

“No, not haunting you, it just proved to be your destiny,” Sabrina stepped out of the car and onto the curb where Randall was waiting with their bags. She picked up her bag, and Chris retrieved his as they walked toward the doors of the building. Since the building housed a hotel, a doorman greeted them and held open the door. Sabrina walked directly to the security desk where the guard on duty stood up immediately, “Gregory, this is my friend Chris, and he will be staying with me for a few days. I want you to put him on the registry so that you don’t question his purpose in the building.”

“Yes ma’am, Mr. Chris, can I have your last name please?”

“Sure, it’s Evans and do you need me to sign in or anything?”

“No sir, Mr. Evans, we will just have it on file that you are a guest of Ms. Burnham, and you have building privileges,” Gregory made notes in the book and made sure that the camera behind the desk had snapped his picture. “Ma’am, please have a pleasant evening and let us know should you need anything.”

Sabrina smiled and began walking toward the single elevator secluded in the far corner of the lobby, it required a key to access the call button. She noticed the confused look on her companion’s face, “This elevator is for the residential floors, and we restrict the access so that no one from the hotel or office space accidently wanders onto those floors.”

Chris nodded his head, agreeing that the concept made sense. When they stepped into the elevator, he was shocked when he noticed that she hit the button for the 80th floor. He had not anticipated that she lived on such a high level, but then again, if you build skyscrapers and shape the city wouldn’t you want to see all of your work? The elevator moved swiftly, and it didn’t take long to get to her floor. He had fully expected that she was the only occupant on the floor, but she wasn’t. Instead, she appeared to be one of 4 residents on the floor, each condo taking up a corner of the building.

He was stunned when she opened the door, and he walked inside. To say that the view was stunning would be a severe understatement. The condo inhabited two floors and walking straight ahead he had an entire wall of windows in front of him that provided a view of the river, the Hancock Building, and what appeared to the be North Side of the Lakefront. There was a balcony, but this high up, he was terrified to go out and take in the view in the open air.

The entire space was open, void of unnecessary walls and her interior design was every bit as breathtaking as what he had witnessed of her building design. “My God, Sabrina, this place is amazing. I may never want to leave.”

She walked up behind him, wrapping her arms up under his and resting her head in the middle of his back, “The invitation is open for you to stay, and never leave.”


	9. Chapter 9

While his body was comfortable, his mind was on the verge of spiraling out of control. Sabrina’s arms were wrapped around him, her head was resting in the middle of his back – this felt comfortable and was something he could get used to. Something he would like to have on a regular basis. She felt good to him, oh God how she felt good. He loved how soft she was and the way his body felt when pressed against her. It was as if they were made to fit together, two puzzle pieces that were specially made to match. It wasn’t just the way their bodies met, it was how they seemed to intrinsically relate to one another. He never fell this hard or this fast for anyone; one minute he is flirting with her over drinks at the Hancock building and the next they are having non-stop sex in his hotel room, and he is canceling his flight to go home with her. And now he is here, in her apartment, enjoying a magnificent view of the city of Chicago from the 80th floor of a building she designed and built. Her words were bouncing through his head, ‘the invitation is open for your to stay, and never leave.’ Things were moving fast between the two of them, it was almost like a landslide. He knew he needed to get out of the way or find a way to stop it, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to. 

Sabrina Burnham wasn’t the type of woman that Chris Evans falls in love with. Wait? Love? Is that what this was? Isn’t it a little early to throw that word around? He knew he needed to get out of his head, he had Audrey’s warning going off in his mind as well, ‘Sabrina doesn’t do relationships.’ Why doesn’t she do them? She was certainly acting like she wanted this. He knew that he needed to center himself and quiet this brain noise, it was going to drive him insane, and it would threaten the time he had with her. He needed answers, though; needed to understand what was really going on between the two of them and where this was going, if anywhere. 

He wondered if the doubt and concern that was flowing through his mind were making its way to Sabrina. The comfort he was feeling moments ago was starting to ebb, and Sabrina was starting to move. Her arms slid from his body, and she lifted her head and stepped away. For a moment, he felt as if his heart was going to stop; which was a surreal thought considering he was concerned things were probably moving too fast not more than a minute ago.

He turned to look at her, “Is something wrong?” He was sure that the pain he felt was evident in his eyes.

She placed her hand on his cheek, “Hey, don’t worry, everything’s fine. I just figured I should go ahead and call the office and leave a message for Alice.” He knew he was giving her a questioning look, his mind was confused. “Chris, it's okay, I want to tell her to clear my calendar for tomorrow. I’m afraid if I don’t do it now while I’m thinking of it, I’ll forget. And, if I do it in the morning, she’ll ask a million questions; today, I can do it and leave a message and then turn my phone off.”

She moved effortlessly across the room towards the small nook that served as her office when she worked from home. He noticed the space wasn’t very large, but it was comfortable and inviting and provided one hell of a view that could serve as her inspiration. He watched as she settled in at her desk and then suddenly jumped up and ran back to the door to peek out at him, “Go ahead and look around and make yourself comfortable. You can take your things upstairs if you want, our bedroom is the first one at the top of the steps.”

Those words, ‘our bedroom,’ they struck him as an odd turn of phrase. Why didn’t she just say, her room? Was it the fact that for the next two nights they would be sharing the room and she was trying to be inclusive? It gave him a weird, sinking feeling in his stomach and he began to worry that he was thinking too much about this. She must have seen it on his face because she commented on it.

“Is something wrong?”

“Huh, oh no,” he lied, unable to come clean on what he was thinking.

“Chris, really, what’s wrong? You look like something is really bothering you,” suddenly it seem to hit her, as if the words came to her, “Oh! I freaked you out, I’m sorry. My bedroom is the first one at the top of the steps, I just took for granted you would be staying in there with me tonight. Hence, our bedroom. But if you would rather sleep in one of the guest rooms, you are more than welcome to do so. I’m sorry if I sort of jumped to a conclusion.”

He noticed that as she spoke the words, her eyes clouded over, she looked pensive and distant. Upset and disappointed that he might want to sleep somewhere other than in her bed and in her arms for the next two nights. She turned back to her office and sat at her desk, electing not to wait for him to respond. Chris didn’t move to ascend the stairs. Instead, he walked to the door of her nook and quietly watched her. She shuffled some papers on her desk and dialed the phone, putting it on speaker. The rings going into Alice’s voicemail and prompting Sabrina to leave a message, “Good Morning Alice, It’s Sabrina, I wanted to let you know I need to ask you to clear my calendar through Tuesday at noon. I will be unavailable until then. I will attend the meeting with the Mayor on Tuesday afternoon and will be in the office following that meeting. Please let Audrey and the principals know and reschedule any meetings as needed. Thank you.”

As she disconnected the call, she took a deep breath and stared out the window. Chris wondered if she was questioning her decision. He figured he would go ahead and ask, “Are you having second thoughts about this?”

She snapped around to see him standing there, “You scared me, I didn’t know you were there! No, no second thoughts, why would you even think that?” Her voice was betraying her.

He pushed himself away from the door where he was leaning and moved across the room, taking the seat on the loveseat that was situated next to her desk. “I get the sneaking suspicion that this is just a little out of character for you. And your voice, when you left your voicemail, you were very measured and had no emotion. And I won’t even bring up the heavy sigh when you hung up.”

“Are you analyzing me, Chris?”

“Not trying to, I guess I’m just wondering if you’re rethinking this, that’s all. Maybe you’re beginning to worry how everyone is going to react. You’re calling when no one can ask you questions, and you’re having Alice tell Audrey versus you telling her.”

“Fine, I rarely take time off,” she sat back in her chair and tilted her head and gave a half smile, “I’m sure that shocks you doesn’t it? So, yeah, it is slightly out of character for me to blow off work for potentially blowing someone else,” she raised her eyebrows and tried to make a half-hearted joke. “I’m not regretting this, I’m just…I don’t know,” her words broke off.

“You realize that Audrey will most likely come looking for you, right?”

“She’ll probably call, and when I don’t answer, she’ll probably try coming over here. But she doesn’t have a key to the apartment and will take the hint when I don’t answer the door. I think she’s smart enough to figure out what’s going on though if I’m not available, and you’re not answering your phone either.” 

Chris reached for Sabrina’s hands, pulling her from her chair and onto the loveseat, straddling his lap; facing him with her knees on either side of his legs. “So, tell me, what exactly is going on? What is happening between us, or better yet, what do you want to happen between us?”

She swallowed hard, “I don’t know, I’m trying not to think about it, Chris.”

“Why is that, what are you afraid of?” He brushed her hair off of her face and tucked it behind her ear, his soft touch on her skin is enough to set her alight.

“Everything,” her emotions were raw, and she was honest with him. She had not done that with a man in years; sharing feelings and being honest about what was going on in her heart and head were not things that came easily to her. “I’m not sure what is happening between us...this is…well, it’s not…it’s different.”

He cupped her face and kissed her, tugging on her bottom lip as he pulled away. “Yeah, I know. I can’t explain it myself; sometimes I feel like I am moving too fast and sometimes, not fast enough.” He took a chance and kissed her again, this time, more softly and slowly, letting his lips linger. 

“Tell me why you and Audrey were arguing about me,” her voice was soft, almost a whisper.

“I don’t know that I want to do that, baby. You and Audrey are good friends, and I don’t want to cause problems between the two of you,” he put his hands on her thighs and began to rub on them gently. “Stop torturing yourself, it really was nothing, and I don’t want to get into it and have it blown up into some big misunderstanding.” Chris wanted to tell her, he wanted to say he had feelings for her, and Audrey told him to back off. He just knew it was not the right time.

Sabrina rested her forehead on his, she knew he had a point, but it didn’t make it any easier to hear. The intimacy she was feeling at the moment was overwhelming; she had been honest with him, she was scared. She had asked him back to her apartment because she wasn’t quite ready for him to leave, but honestly, what was she expecting by having him stay? She was merely delaying the inevitable; right now, she needed to stop thinking about it. “You know what, I’m hungry,” she declared, “I’m sure you are too, so why don’t we go see what we can find in the kitchen.” She moved to stand from his lap and walk towards the kitchen.

Chris reached out for her hand as he stood from the chair, “Hey, come here,” he pulled her back towards him and into an embrace. A hug that conveyed safety and strength, but also his own vulnerability and the fact that he needed reassurance, “I need you to know that my little dust-up with Audrey was more about Audrey and me than anything. I don’t want you to worry about it, okay? Please don’t put that between us, babe.”

Chris felt Sabrina squeeze just a little tighter, and he hoped that it meant that she was letting it go.

~*~  
Lunch was a bit awkward, to say the least. While Sabrina had made small salads for each of them, Chris picked out a bottle of wine from her vast selection and poured them each a glass. They ate in relative silence, it was as if their discussion, or lack thereof, in the office nook, had killed any and all need for conversation. When Chris finished eating, he decided to take Sabrina up on her earlier offer of making himself at home. He decided to explore the downstairs area a little more carefully. They had been lunching at the bar in the kitchen, and as he walked toward the open dining and living area, he was amazed by the space. He estimated she could fit forty or fifty people in here for a dinner party if she wanted to. It was then that he noticed she had a piano tucked in the back corner. 

He sat down and began to play, he hoped she wouldn’t mind. He decided to play something fun and not anything romantic or sappy, there was already tension in the air between them and he didn’t want to add to it. He had not been playing for very long when he noticed she was walking towards him, with her wine glass as well as his. She sat them down on top of the piano and then sat on the bench next to him.

“Winnie the Pooh? You are playing the theme song to Winnie the Pooh?” Sabrina was smiling and laughing lightly as she spoke the words and it was just as melodic as the notes from the piano.

“Yep, I’m a sucker for Pooh. I mean, come on, my name is pretty close to Pooh’s best friend after all.”

“Chris sounds nothing like Tigger or Rabbit,” Sabrina said deadpanned.

“Christopher Robin you goof!” Chris said as he bumped her shoulder with his, “My middle name is Robert, so it's close enough.” Sabrina tried to suppress her laughter, “Oh yeah, you laugh but I like Pooh, and you evidently do, too because you picked Tigger out of the air last night.”

“Yeah, well he is kinda cute. I will admit to liking Tigger and Eeyore, although, Audrey will tell you I am most like Owl, I’m a know-it-all.”

Chris stopped playing and just looked at her for a minute, “How long have you known Audrey?”

“We went to college together, so for,” she started to say it and then stopped herself, she was about to give away her age to him, and she wasn’t sure that was a good idea, at least not yet. “A long time, let’s just leave it at that.

“It’s okay, I know you’re older than I am,” he gave her another shoulder bump, “It doesn’t bother me so it shouldn’t bother you. It’s just a number and nothing more, and honestly, you don’t look a second over thirty-five.” He could see she was starting to blush, and he decided to go back to playing the piano. He thought maybe he should stay clear of Disney songs.

“The Beatles? Wouldn’t have pegged you for a fan. I have to admit, you picked one my favorites, I’ve always loved this song.”

“I’d sing it to you, but I wouldn’t do it justice. No one can sing Let it Be like McCartney,” he finished the song and turned to her, “Do you play?”

“Sadly, no. I always wanted to learn so I bought this figuring it would inspire me to get lessons, but it never has.”

“That's a shame, it’s a beautiful instrument that should be played and shown the right amount of love and affection on a regular basis.” He carefully closed the fallboard, being mindful of the location of Sabrina’s hands. 

“You can dance, and you can play the piano,” she turned to look at him, a smile creeping onto her face, “And you slid into the conversation that you can sing. So, tell me, Mr. Evans, what other talents do you have that you have not shared with me?”

“Well, hmm, I shared quite a few last night,” he laughed, “But honestly, I don’t know that I am leaving anything out at the moment. Well, I mean, I can play the guitar, but that would be it. I would not say I am athletically gifted, and I’m unable to perform brain surgery. Is there anything specific you want to know about?”

“Obviously, you have the ability to do comedy. No, I just wondered what else you were keeping secret from me.”

He took her hand in his, lifting it to his lips and gently kissing it, “I’m not trying to keep secrets from you. These things have just never come up.”

“Yeah, I know, we don’t really know one another. I mean, we haven’t dated or anything. We had a few drinks at the Hancock, then a walk down Michigan Avenue, then the Tango at a wedding which led to marathon sex which brought you here.”

“You have a point, maybe we need to slow things down. I like you, Sabrina, I really do, but there is no harm in having a date night and using it to get to know one another. Maybe just stay in, watch a movie and relax. How does that sound?”

“I like you too, Chris, and that sounds like a perfect evening,” she leaned forward to give him a kiss. She had to admit that a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She didn’t know if he saw it move away, but she absolutely felt it.

She moved off of the bench and headed back into the kitchen to clean up the lunch mess. He followed her, carrying their wine glasses. As they finished the clean up, Chris poured the rest of the wine into their glasses, picked his up and walked over to the large windows.

“So, Sabrina,” he called over to her, “I have a curious question, why do you not have screens in these windows? Wouldn’t you want to open them up for fresh air? 

Sabrina plucked her glass from the table and joined him at the window. She eased herself under his arm and slid her free hand around his waist, “This high up, the force of the air is too intense. The suction and power are too strong for having the windows open. Hell, I can barely stand to go outside, it hurts my ears, and it gets a little painful. I think I went out once to check out the air show. It was a fantastic view, but I had to come back in after five minutes.”

He took a glance up and down the balcony, “So that’s why you have no furniture out there?”

“Yeah, I won’t sit out there, and I don’t want a strong wind to blow anything off from this height. Good gracious, it would kill a person if something fell from up here!”

“Just think of the privacy, though,” he said with his eyebrows raised. “You could be one hell of an exhibitionist up here, and no one would ever know.”

“Oh, trust me, people would know! There are enough folks around here who are trained on these windows with telescopes, you don’t want to be an exhibitionist, but by all means, give it a try. I can’t wait to see your publicist explain it away,” her laughter was a delight for him to hear, it was the first time he had heard her sound so carefree.

“Well, I’m not in the mood to deal with that sort of fiasco. I think I’m escaping this weekend unscathed, and I’d like to keep it that way. Meghan gets worried when I go off on my own, she wonders what mess she has to clean up.” He started to worry that he’d said that, not sure what Sabrina did or did not know about him. He was afraid she might be sensitive to a comment like this and figured he should probably set it straight right away. “Get out of your head, it was a joke,” he said, leaning over and kissing the top of her head.

Sabrina already knew that because she had done an internet search on him and did not find any wild and crazy tabloid stories. But she couldn’t help having her mind race just a little. 

“Whew! I dodged a bullet there. I didn’t even think to do that sort of background check on you first,” she winked at him and let him know that she was not hung up on what he had said. “Ok, are you ready to head upstairs and watch movies?”

She pulled away from him, moving to the front door to check the locks. She then picked up her bag and proceeded to lead Chris up the stairs. Being a gentleman, Chris took the bag from her hand, picked up his own and followed behind her. As they reached the top step, Sabrina turned and walked into the expansive bedroom that Chris knew to be her room. 

The view is just as spectacular as the one downstairs. The bed was facing the windows, which meant that if the telescopes were aimed at the room, the peeping tom would have one hell of a show. Chris was looking at the window intently and then back on the bed, she had an idea of what was going through his mind. She stepped over to the bedside table and picked up a remote control, clicked one button and shades descended from the ceiling, covering the windows.

His eyes went wide, “I knew you had to have a secret to keep out the peeping toms! Tell me, have you had problems with people watching you?”

She shook her head, “No, I haven’t but I know someone who did. It wasn’t in this building either, it was in another building. I still lived in a dreary apartment with regular curtains when I started hearing about the telescope stories. I just knew that when I moved into a high-rise, I was going to keep myself covered. I have Audrey taken care of, as well.”

“Yeah, I would bet so, don’t want to take any chances, eh?”

“Uh, no! No chances at all,” she placed the remote control down on the table, “Are you going to sleep in here with me or do you want to sleep in one of the other rooms?”

“Didn’t you invite me to stay here specifically so I could sleep with you?” He asked as he brushed past her and placed his bag on the bed. His tone was playful, but there was a level of seriousness to his question. 

“Well, you seemed a little apprehensive earlier when I mentioned it,” there it was, the hurt and pain had come back to her eyes.

He put his fingers under her chin, gently tilting her head upwards, “It was just odd to hear you refer to your bedroom as ‘our’ bedroom, that’s all. Caught me a little off guard, but I didn’t say I didn’t want to sleep with you, now did I?”

She shook her head, “No, you didn’t,” she swallowed hard, “We’re going to screw this up aren’t we?”

“Honestly, yes, we probably will. Can we just agree that we’re treading on new ground, and we’re a little scared?”  
Sabrina nodded in unison with Chris, and it led to a kiss, chaste at first and then into something deeper. As they broke from the kiss, breathing ragged and hearts beating rapidly, Sabrina reminded him of why they came upstairs, “We should go back to that idea of a date night before we get ourselves into more trouble.”

She took him by the hand and led him down the hall to the TV room. As soon as she entered the room, Sabrina hit a button on the wall, blinds covered the windows and room darkening curtains closed over the wall of windows as well. Small incandescent can lights in the ceiling were now visible and provided lighting in the room; Sabrina also turned on the table lamp next to the oversized couch.

She let Chris look over the movie collection, plus he knew she had Netflix and Amazon to select from. He had actually been pleasantly surprised to realize that Sabrina’s favorite actor was Cary Grant, his personal favorite as well. She had an impressive DVD collection of his movies, and they settled in to watch several of his most memorable roles. They had already completed The Philadelphia Story and His Girl Friday and were just about to watch Operation Petticoat when Chris noticed that Sabrina was starting to fight to stay awake.

“So, is Cary boring you, or am I?” He asked softly as he kissed her forehead when he came back to the couch.

“Neither one, I’m just tired. I think all of the action from last night is finally catching up to me,” she yawned and stretched in response. 

“Ok, up we go,” he said as he reached for her hands to pull her off the couch.

“What are you doing?” She asked in protest.

“Let’s call it a night, you’re tired and so am I, we can watch this one in the morning,” he reached over and picked up the remote and turned the TV off. Taking Sabrina by the hand, he led her towards the bedroom, turning off the lights in the room as they exited. Luckily, she had left the bedroom light on earlier, so they had a light to guide them down the hall. The penthouse was extremely dark except for that light.

Chris removed the bags from the bed, and Sabrina then pulled back the covers. She went over to the dresser, pulled out a few things and retreated to the bathroom. While Chris had his bag set up on the footstool at the end of the bed, he began to undress. He slipped off his jeans shoes, socks, and jeans. He slipped on a pair of pajama bottoms, although he generally slept in the nude; he had brought them along to be safe. He took off his shirt, figuring he would at least sleep without a t-shirt on, he didn’t expect that she would mind.

He sat on the footstool to wait for her to exit the bathroom. This was her bedroom, and he didn’t know which side of the bed she preferred, it would be rude for him to get into the bed and make an assumption. Although based on how the room was set up, he guessed she slept on the left, it was closer to the bathroom, and he imagined she did not want to sleep next to the bedroom door. He didn’t know why that struck him as odd, it just did. As he waited for her, he took in the room; it was not opulent, it was subtle and elegant and was the perfect reflection of her.

The bathroom door opened, and she stepped out wearing a light pink chemise with a matching robe; the chemise, not overly revealing, actually came down to her knees. Chris quickly stood up, taking her all in, she was just as lovely in a nightgown with no makeup as she was in a party dress all dolled up. He knew he was staring at her, but he could not help himself.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to take so long in the bathroom. It’s all yours if you need it.”

“Um, no, you’re fine. I just didn’t know which side of the bed you prefer,” his voice trailed off, and he actually felt his face start to flush.

“Oh, well I usually sleep on the left.”

He smiled and shook his head, “You won’t believe this, but I kinda figured that was the case.” He walked around to the right side of the bed and got in, watching as she removed her robe and hung it on the end of the bed. She got into bed, and he motioned for her to come to him, opening his arm for her to snuggle in next to him. He kissed the top of her head and then reached over to turn off the bedside table.

Almost instantly they fell asleep, the sexual activities from the night before and the tension from the day had been exhausting. They were each a little more worn out than they wanted to admit. 

~*~  
Sabrina’s body twitched and she woke up; it was a dream, or was it a nightmare? She was falling, endlessly falling and that is what made her wake up – she had a fear of falling. The falling of any sort, including in love. She pulled herself away from Chris, she was still snuggled next to him with his arm protectively draped over her. Neither one of them had moved since they had gone to bed. Had they not been asleep that long or had they just been so tired they couldn’t move? She checked her phone, it was 2:30 am, they had been asleep for some time. So, they had just been that tired. 

As she got out of bed, she noticed that he moved; he moved towards where she had been sleeping. It was almost as if he was searching for her. She saw the light flashing on her cell, it indicated she had a message. She picked up her phone and made her way over to the armchair, the one that Audrey had sat in two days ago to watch her parade around in dresses to wear to the wedding. She had the perfect vantage point to see Chris on the bed and to watch him sleep. He was a visually stunning man, from his arms, chest, eyes, lips and those ridiculous eyelashes. She watched him sleep, watched his chest move up and down with every breath he took. 

He looked fabulous in her bed, and she would love for him to stay there permanently. When she had her arms wrapped around him at the window yesterday, she meant those words that there was an invitation for him to stay and never leave. But that weighed heavily on her now. She could feel herself falling over the abyss for him, and she could not explain how it could happen so fast. He was simply not the kind of man she should fall for. He is younger, from outside of Chicago, he’s an actor for heaven sake. She had done so well in not falling for anyone in the ten years since her divorce; her heart had been closed off, and the occasional fling was good enough.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter is NSFW and marked as 18+ since it has adult content. If you are offended by sexual material, please skip this chapter.

Sabrina knew that falling for a man like Chris was dangerous. He would make her rethink her life and her priorities, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for that. And what if she was falling for him and he didn’t have the same feelings for her? Her heart would end up shattered, and she might never recover. This is why she stayed cold and distant; this is why Audrey should have known not to introduce her to Chris. When this blew up, Audrey is left in the middle of the carnage, certainly not where she would want to be. This is why she needed to stay out of her head and quit thinking about this!

She glanced down at her lap and caught a glimpse of the blinking light on her cell. She put in her password and saw that she had a message, her blood ran cold, she knew who this message was from, and she knew what it was about.

“You have a payment due tomorrow, I’m sure you haven’t forgotten, but I don’t see it pending in my bank account. Don’t disappoint me, love.”

It was taking everything within her not to vomit at the words on the screen. She took several deep breaths and tried to push back the urge to be sick. When she was sure it had passed, she quietly stood and retrieved her robe from the end of the bed. Sliding it on, she tiptoed from the room and padded down the stairs to her office and powered up her laptop. She quickly logged into her banking account and started up the wire transfer; the same transfer every month of $15,000 to Kyle Chapman. She had just hit complete on the transaction and logged out of the system when she looked up and saw Chris at the door. She let out a gasp, clearly surprised to see him standing there.

“What’s going on, babe? By the way, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he stepped behind her chair and wrapped his arms around her. “Please tell me you didn’t get out of bed with me to come down here and work?”

Sabrina leaned back into him, resting her head on his shoulder and nuzzling into his neck, “I forgot about a bill I had to pay, thought I better come down and take care of it while it was fresh on my mind. I promise it’s not work related,” she kissed his jawline. It felt good to be wrapped in his arms. She knew he could see the screen and the bank website, she was just thankful that the transaction screen was no longer up, and he could not see the receipt for the wire transfer.

“I felt you get out of bed, you were gone for a while,” he turned his head and kissed her neck and across her shoulder and back, “I was waiting for you to come back to bed and then I heard you walk past and down the steps. Is something on your mind?”

She unwrapped herself and stood up, reaching for his hand and then pulling herself into his embrace, “No, I think my mind is just racing with everything that is going on and I can’t process it all and I can’t turn it off. Does that make sense?” She rested her head on his chest, the warmth of his body making her feel safe and secure.

He rubbed her back, providing comfort as he held her, “Yeah, it does, more than you know. Why don’t we go back up to bed and see if we can find some way to occupy your mind and make you think less.”

She smiled against his chest, “Are you trying to seduce me, Evans?”

“If it’s working, then yes, I am.”

“And if it’s not?” She asked, figuring she would see if he was in the mood to be playful.

“Well, then, I was only suggesting that we go back upstairs because I’m selfish, and I don’t want you sleeping all day while I’m awake,” he kissed the top of her head and laughed.

“Fair enough,” she stepped back, taking his hand and walking backward out of the office nook and pulling him towards her, “Come upstairs with me, I want you to take me back to bed.”

She was not going to have to ask twice, and he did not resist. She walked him up the stairs, never releasing his hand. As she rounded the top of the stairs and entered the bedroom she walked toward the windows; as she approached them, she dropped his hand without a word. She knew what she wanted by bringing Chris back upstairs, and by God, she wanted to admire his body, the room being in total darkness was not going to work for her. She reached for the long wands on the heavy curtains and drew them back some, allowing the moonlight to filter into the room through the blinds.

Chris knew that what was about to happen with Sabrina in her bedroom was going to be different from what happened at the Trump Hotel. Every action there was frenzied, rushed, rough and while he was not complaining one bit, that was not what was about to happen here. He had every intention of touching her gently, slowly, tenderly, and caressing her body. He had every intention of making love to this woman in front of him; the only issue was that it was making him extremely nervous. It had been a while since he had truly made love to a woman. Sex was easy, hell, they had sex hours ago. But to make love, where he had feelings that were more invested than just having a good fuck; no that had been some time ago.

He had no idea if she felt the same way he did and he wasn’t about to take the time to ask. He was scared she would say ‘no,’ but he was just as afraid she would say ‘yes.’ It was better if he just stayed blissfully ignorant at this point. Then again, he figured if he put himself out there as he planned, she would know exactly how he felt. That is when he started second guessing himself and wondering if he should just keep some of that to himself. Maybe he should just give her enough of himself for her to want more and for him to satisfy himself. It could allow him to see where he stood with her because he knew he had to have ‘that’ talk with her before he left. He needed to know if he was just an extended fuck for her or if she wanted more from his.

“Damn, get out of your head, Evans,” he thought to himself, “Live in the now, not in the future. You say that shit all the time, now fucking live it!”

Sabrina finished getting the curtains exactly as she wanted them. She walked to where Chris was standing, “Penny for your thoughts? You seem so serious all of a sudden.”  
“Oh, sorry, I was just watching you intently, that’s all. Thinking about how beautiful you are and how graceful you are when you move.”

“You’re lying, I see it in the furrow of your brow,” she rubbed her finger along his brows and the lines across his forehead. “But, I’ll forgive you, because I like the answer you came up with. Just know that I’m gonna make you tell me the truth later.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist and before she could even think about anything else, his lips came down on hers, his hands had moved, one on her hip and one to the back of her head. His fingers were tangled in her hair, and he pulled her close to him. It was if he wanted to devour her, and she was willing, oh God, how she was willing.

He pulled away from her, he was breathless and realized he had rushed that kiss, “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” he offered as he stared into her eyes.

Sabrina didn’t respond, but she began to walk backward, toward the bed and she kept her hands on his waist so she could guide him along with her. When she reached the side of the bed, she let go of him long enough to hop up on the mattress. The bed was raised ever so slightly, elevating her enough so that in the seated position, she was still situated perfectly to kiss him without effort. She placed her hands on his chest, leaning forward to capture his lips, softly. As she pulled back from the kiss, she tugged on his plump bottom lip with her teeth.

Chris reached for the fabric of the chemise, gathering it in his fingers, he slowly began to walk it up her thighs to her hips. Looking into her eyes, with desire clouding the brilliant blue orbs that were shining in the moonlight, he asked, “Can you lean forward so I can get this off of you? You’re sitting on the fabric, beautiful.”

Sabrina laughed lightly and leaned forward, and Chris gently pulled the fabric from under her and up over her hips. As she rocked back, he continued to draw the chemise up until he had lifted it completely off her body. It was then that he realized she had not put on any panties when preparing for bed; she was gloriously naked in front of him.

“You aren’t going to keep those pants on, are you?” She asked playfully, “I mean, it wouldn’t be fair, I wouldn’t think for me to be exposed,” she leaned forward, hooking her fingers in the waistband of the pajama bottoms, “And for you to remain covered up, now would it?” As she raised up, ever so slightly to kiss him, she lowered her hands and began to pull his pajama bottoms, and his Calvin Klein boxer briefs, down.

He smiled into her kiss, pulling back and answering, “No, wouldn’t be fair at all. And since your arms aren’t long enough, I’ll take it from here.” He took a small step backward and quickly rid himself of his pants and briefs. He saw the smile cross her lips as she took in his fully naked form. He took the step forward so he was back at the edge of the bed, he wasn’t sure what to do next; he was never at a loss for what do to.

Sabrina quickly took over, whether she sensed he was lost, or she just wanted control, he didn’t care of even think about. She moved so that she was up on the bed, head on the pillows, waiting for him to join her; she wasn’t waiting long. He crawled up on the bed and in an instant, was hovering over her. He dipped his head down, kissing her neck, just under her ear and continuing a path down her shoulder. She let out a moan as he did this, he knew she was enjoying it.

He ran his finger down her chest, slowly tracing the outline of her breasts. He then retraced them with his lips, this time, paying particular attention to each one; while biting and sucking on one nipple, he would massage and caress the other. Her body was reacting, her back was arching, and she was gasping and moaning at his touch. When he felt as if he had paid sufficient attention to her breasts, he kissed down her abdomen, stopping at her navel.

He needed to reposition himself before continuing; however, before that, he wanted to check to see if Sabrina was okay. Moving back up, he again hovered over her, “Are you alright?” She didn’t answer verbally, she just nodded her head, but he could tell by looking in her eyes that they were full of lust, and she did not want him to stop. He kissed her, the passion evident in the way he took her lips, his tongue darting into her mouth.  
As he broke the kiss, she whispered, “Please.”

“Please, what, baby?” He asked her as he looked down at her.

“Don’t make me wait, I need you,” her voice was thick with desire and his heart was beginning to swell hearing her say those words. But he had to keep his head focused, she was in the moment, and it was desire and lust that was speaking, and he had to know that.  
He didn’t respond. Instead, he used his knee to gently part her legs, there was no resistance. He figured she was anticipating he would start right where he left off; he had no plans to do that. Instead, he gently bent her right leg up at the knee and began to massage her calf and then kissed his way up her knee. He gracefully put her leg down and did the same to her left leg. He could tell she was restless and aching for more of a touch. As he put her left leg down, he lowered himself to his stomach and began to kiss softly on the inner portion of her right leg, from her knee and working his way up her thigh. Careful not to touch her sensitive core, although he could feel her heat and could tell she was ready for him.

He then moved over to her left thigh, repeating the exact same steps he did on the right. She was starting to squirm, and he loved it. He was again deliberate in not touching her aching core; he knew she was dying for him to touch her and she was wet. He could see her glistening in the moonlight, she was more than ready for him. But he didn’t have a condom with him. He knew he had to work his way back up her body, this time, he did so without the same attention to her breasts. The kisses and touches were no less sensual or erotic; as he moved back to where he was hovering over her, he captured her lips in a soft and passionate kiss. He wanted to convey to her the feelings he had been building up inside, he was having a hard time holding back, but he had his reasons.

She pulled back from the kiss and gave an exasperated, if not angry sigh, “Chris, please, I need you to touch me.”

“I have been touching you,” he responded with kisses down her neck, “With my lips,” he continued kissing across her shoulder, “And running my fingers across your soft skin.”

“Oh, fuck you! You know what I meant,” she said breathlessly, “I want you, I need you, Chris.”

“I know, but I’m taking my time so I can memorize your body, I don’t want to forget a thing after a leave. This is my chance to make sure I know every inch of you.”

She wasn’t sure how to respond because no man had ever said anything like that to her before. It was overwhelming and romantic but frightening and possibly life altering.  
He could almost see the wheels turning in her head, she wasn’t sure how to react to what he said. She was getting lost in her own head again, and he needed to keep her from going there. He moved his right hand down her side, providing a light touch across her arms and her torso. He ran his fingers over her abdomen and slid them between her legs, parting her wet folds. Her eyes opened wide with his touch. He moved ever so slightly, and as he plunged two fingers inside of her, he captured her mouth as she let out a gasp. He was proud of himself for that move.

He turned his attention from her mouth to her neck, all while he continued to pump his fingers in and out of her wet and slippery core. He began to nip and kiss her neck, timing the nips to when he would slide his fingers in and the kiss to when he would ease them out. He knew he was driving her crazy, but it was a slow build up, he wanted to enjoy this.

“Please,” she was starting to beg again, her body writhing under his touch.

“Please what, baby? Tell me what you need,” he whispered in a husky growl into her ear. She let out a moan as the question was asked and he began to rub her clit with his thumb. She was unable to answer his question, her body began to twist, and Chris knew he had her on the edge. “Do you like that? Is that what you needed, baby?”

He didn’t want her to cum, not like that. He slowly withdrew his fingers and she whimpered at the loss of his touch. He shifted his body, gently parting her legs and positioning himself above her. Without a word, he slid inside her, she was so tight, and he loved the feel of her around him when the realization struck. He dropped his head and quietly muttered, ‘shit’ and hoped she didn’t hear him; he realized he forgot to get a condom.

He stilled and started to pull out so that he could rectify the situation, but her hands flew to his ass and held him in place. “No, don’t pull out,” she begged, “Please.”

“I have to, I forgot something,” he spoke quietly, almost embarrassed, as he tried to move, but her grip only got tighter.

“Look at me,” she practically demanded. As he raised his head, looking into her eyes which were full of heat and desire, “We’re good, I’ve got it under control, understand?”

A smile spread across his face, “So, then you tell me what you want, baby.”

She released the grip on his ass and ran her hands up his back, holding onto his shoulders, “I need you, so much,” her words were heady and breathless, “Make love to me, Chris, please.”

“You know, you are beautiful, but even more so when you are needy and asking for me to make love to you,” he slowly pushed inside her and began to bite his lower lip as he slowly pumped in and out of her in long, fluid strokes. She closed her eyes and was lost in the sensation, “Open your eyes, baby, look at me.”

She did as he asked, opening her eyes, starting into his striking blue eyes and never breaking contact as he continued to glide in and out of her. Her nails were starting to dig into his shoulders, he could only imagine that it meant she was craving more; honestly, he was, too. He began to move faster, and Sabrina raised her legs, wrapping them around his hips, pulling him in closer.

As the pace is increased, Sabrina’s breathing became ragged, and it was evident that she was having a hard time holding back. He felt her walls spasm, and she tumbled over the edge of ecstasy, calling his name as she did. Chris kept going, the feeling of her clenching around him felt too good to stop, with every push he knew he was getting closer to the edge. He finally let go, pulled out and collapsed on the bed, just to her left. He was spent, could barely move or have a coherent thought.

Sabrina rolled to her side, snuggled up to him, kissed his cheek and put her head on his chest so she could hear the beating of his heart. It was so loud she was afraid it would burst through his chest. She wrapped her arm around his torso, her leg around his and she felt his arm wrap around her back. Within a moment, they were both sound asleep.

~ * ~

The filtered sunlight began to stream into the room, Chris was the first to wake. He had no intention of getting out of bed, he was content being wrapped up with Sabrina. He found that they had shifted during the night, they were now lying on their sides, he was behind her with his arms around her and their legs entwined. He had never liked being wrapped up with a woman before; sure, maybe when they first went to bed to cuddle, but never all night or finding themselves waking up this way. But he didn’t mind with her, it all went back to the feeling of comfort that he had with her. It scared him that he could be so taken with someone, so quickly. His brain kept trying to rationalize that this was lust, and his heart was overthinking things; his feelings would change when he left Chicago, and there was the distance between the two of them. He just wasn’t so sure of that.

He felt Sabrina begin to stir, it made him twitch, he would love to flip her over and take her again right now. But, that would make him a horny teenager and would play into his fear that he might be there to do nothing more than serve her. He pulled her toward him a little more, their bodies fitting together perfectly.

He realized she was actually awake when she gave her hips a little extra wiggle as she snuggled into him, “Oh, someone is awake and being naughty,” he growled into her ear.

She turned herself over so she was facing him, moving her legs so she could fit with him better. She kissed him, taking control and parting his lips with her tongue; probing his mouth and tasting him. “Good Morning,” she responded as she broke the kiss.

“I have a feeling it is probably almost afternoon, I think we slept late.”

She nestled her head under his chin, draping her arm around him, “I think that’s because we were up late. Are you complaining?”

“Hell, no, are you?”

She moved her head to look up at him, “What do you think? I’m so comfortable right now, I don’t want to get out of this bed or out of your arms. So, the only thing I’m going to complain about is if you disagree.”

“No, I’m not going to disagree, I think the only thing that might drag me out of bed is the need for food.”

“Speaking of, you realize I don’t even know you well enough to know what you like to eat?” She playfully scratched at his chest and stomach as she spoke.

“Oh, I think you know what I like to eat,” he said with a laugh, his eyebrows raised and a hint of mischief in his eyes.

She playfully slapped at his chest, “Oh my God! I will admit, though, that was good. You are surprisingly funny.”

“Well, no one has ever accused me of being too serious, you know.”

“That’s only because no one will ask you a serious question,” she replied, nuzzling her head back into the crook of his neck.

“It’s a valid point, they expect me to be a certain way, I think. I like to have fun, I am a self-admitted goof, but I do have a serious side. I can provide deep, thoughtful and insightful answers.”

“Oh, I’m sure you can, but I just want to know, for the record, what your favorite color is?” She let out a giggle as she asked the question.

He groaned, loudly before answering, “Blue, my favorite color is blue.”

“Any specific shade of blue? I mean there are so many; frankly, I’m partial to the color of your eyes. Damn, they are pretty,” she had moved her neck so she was looking up into them while she spoke. He blushed, a tad embarrassed at what she said. He was complimented on his eyes from time to time but from her, it was different. “Ok, now that I know your favorite color. How about telling me your least favorite food.”

“Oh, that is easy, eel! I had it by accident at a sushi bar, and it was horrible, never again,” he shuddered as he answered so he could provide emphasis as to how much he did not like it.

“Really? You would think you would like it since it is so close to your favorite thing to eat,” her eyebrows raised as she said it.

“Oh baby, do not compare pussy to eel. They are nothing like one another, one is sweet and delightful, and the other is fucking eel. Gross, ugh, it makes me sick thinking about it.”

Sabrina’s laughter was hard to contain, and it was actually contagious, Chris began laughing hysterically as well. After a few minutes, she thought she would try again,

“Alright, do you have favorite underwear?”

Chris let out a howling laugh before answering, “Yours!”

She playfully slapped at his chest again, “Mine can’t be your favorite, you aren’t wearing mine,” she then sat up on her elbow and looked at him all serious, “Wait, that isn’t something I need to know about you is it? I mean is that a secret that you haven’t told me?”

Chris reached for her and pulled her down on top of him, “Oh baby, no, that is not a secret I need to tell you. Besides, as lovely as your underwear is, I’m pretty sure I can’t fit my junk in them. So they would not be that comfortable. I meant I like looking at you in your underwear, but I really do prefer them on the floor, though.”

“Oh!” She was quite amused, she kissed him, “That really does make me feel better, naughty boy.”

“You,” he kissed her back, “Are,” he kissed her again, “So fucking,” he leaned in to kiss her again, “Sexy.”

She captured his lips again, letting this kiss linger longer than his, “Well you’re kind of sexy yourself, Cap,” he groaned as she said that and rolled his eyes. Something that she did not miss, “How many times has a woman called you Cap or Captain in bed?”

“Actually, you’re the first,” he admitted, somewhat shyly.

“What? Oh, you’re full of shit!”

“No, they don’t call me Cap, I’m not lying about that. They usually just call me God,” he began to snicker, “They always say ‘oh God don’t stop’ and ‘oh God yes’ so, no, they don’t call me Cap.”

“So, tell me, God, does the little guy have a name?”

“Hey, now, little? That’s cold, Sabrina, just cold.”

She began stroking his chest, playing with the hair, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt your delicate feelings. No, he isn’t little. I’d call him Snickers since he certainly satisfies.”

“Oh my God, you did not just say that?” He groaned, shaking his head and secretly wondering why he had never thought of that, it really was genius.

“Don’t all little boys name their penis, Chris? I’m sure you have a name for yours? So what is it?

“Yeah, okay. Damn, I am going to regret this, I know it,” he closed his eyes and counted to ten before making his admission, “When I was little I called it Elvis.”

“Elvis? I don’t think I want to know why and I don’t think I want an explanation. But I do want to know, is that what you still call it?”

“I named it Elvis because I thought I could teach it to sing, and women would swoon over it. No, he isn’t known as Elvis any longer,” he shook his head and smiled and began to giggle, “I succeeded, so now he’s called The King.”

Now it was Sabrina’s turn to groan, “Little full of yourself aren’t you?”

Chris flipped her over so he was looking down at her, he had a flirty eyebrow raised and a devilish twinkle in his eye, “I know you were full of me not too long ago, weren’t you?”

She bit her lower lip and smiled, nodding her head feverishly. She could feel herself getting wet with desire, he was turning her on. He lowered his head, his lips softly grazing hers. Then, almost as quickly, he pulled away, and she felt him getting off of the bed.

“What the hell? Where are you going?”

“I’m gonna take a shower and then go downstairs and see about making something to eat, I am starving!”

“You have a beautiful, naked woman in bed, and you are going to go take a shower?”

He turned back around to look at her, “There was a beautiful naked woman in bed? Where? Oh! You were referring to yourself,” he said jokingly and walked back to the side of the bed, “Quit pouting baby, your face will freeze like that. I promise I’ll make it up to you later,” he kissed her long and hard, making her gasp for air when he pulled away to walk back to the bathroom.

Sabrina was frustrated, she had wanted to stay in bed all day with him. But now, he was up and taking a shower, and that meant that the reality of dealing with him leaving tomorrow was looming ever closer. She could go in and join him, but she would appear needy, and that is one thing Sabrina did not want to come off as to anyone. When she heard the water turn on, she got up and roughly made the bed. No sense in making it look perfect, she intended to get back in it as quickly as possible, and she didn’t want to worry about it being a beautifully made bed.

She had walked over to the dresser, pulled out a pair of lace panties and a matching bra. She was going to take her shower when Chris was finished, that was her game plan. So she might as well get her things now, and she can just trade places with them. After gathering her things, she began to walk toward the large windows that flanked the bedroom.

Electing to open the blinds to let in the unfiltered sunlight. It was true, the two of them had stayed in bed until nearly noon; it seemed appropriate to open up the blinds and cast the light on the remainder of her day with Chris. As she finished, Sabrina took the opportunity to admire the view, not something she normally did in the middle of the day, especially a work day.

From her vantage point, she could see what was affectionally referred to as ‘the hole,’ the location where she would hopefully build her next great Chicago landmark. This site had been empty for years since the last project fell through, and the real estate was prime. Any project that went in this spot would have to be a show stopper, and it would garner much attention. She was meeting with the city tomorrow after Chris left town, she should be nervous, but she wasn’t. The plans and drawings had been submitted weeks prior, and this meeting was a formality; she had been told off-the-record that the city had approved her submission and would award her the project.

Sabrina was so lost in her thoughts that she was unaware that the shower had turned off. Or, that Chris had exited the bathroom wearing a towel wrapped low around his waist. She was also unaware that he was standing directly behind her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter is NSFW and marked as 18+ since it has adult content. If you are offended by sexual material, please skip this chapter.

Sabrina was lost in thought, her eyes drawn to the city below her but she was not really looking at the glass or the reflection in the window.  She didn’t see Chris behind her, wasn’t aware of his presence until she felt this ghosting of his lips on her neck.  He softly ran his fingers up her arm, and her skin reacted with goosebumps, she shivered.

Chris pressed is lips to her ear, in a low growl he said, “You’re standing naked in front of a full window, and you have no idea what I would like to do to you right this minute.”

She knew he could see her reflection in the windows, there was no hiding the smile on her face.  Besides, her body had already told him that she was turned on by his touch.  “I don’t know what’s stopping you,” she replied as she leaned back into him, her right hand reaching back and yanking his towel away from his waist.

“You aren’t worried about anyone watching?”  He asked hesitantly.

“Are you?”

“My aren’t you getting a little bold,” he whispered in her ear, “I’m a little worried, but only because you brought it up last night.  Before then, I had no concerns about this.”

“Then pretend I said nothing,” she gasped back at him, tilting her head in the hopes he would take the hint and kiss her there; he took the hint.  She opened her stance, ever so slightly, giving him the tacit approval to do whatever he wanted to do to her.  She was ready, and she now had a hunger for it.  He had ignited passion within her that she didn’t know she was capable of.

Chris put his hands on Sabrina’s hips and slowly snaked them around her waist.  His right-hand dipping below her waist, between her legs, while his left moved up to capture her breasts, squeezing gently.  All while he kissed and nipped at her neck and shoulder.  She softly moaned with his touch and with every kiss, there was absolutely no doubt that he was turning her on.

“You’re wet baby, am I turning you on?”  He knew the answer, he wanted to hear her say it.

She let out a ragged, “Yes.”

He moved his hands back to her waist and turned her around, she was facing him, her ass planted firmly against the window.  Instinctively her right leg moved to wrap around his left hip, giving him access to her, letting him know this is what she wanted.  He didn’t hesitate, stepping forward, placing his erect cock at her entrance and slowly entering her.  She was tight, the sensation was intoxicating. 

Chris held her hips, Sabrina put her hand on his shoulders, his movements in and out of her were slow and sensual at first.  The pleasure building; it did not take long for her to beg him to go faster. Her nails dug into his shoulder, and Chris had to put his hand on the window to brace himself.  He began to twist his hips on each thrust, hoping to push himself up and into the right spot.

“Oh…fuck…Chris,” her voice was breathy, and she was having a hard time getting the words out, “Yes, right there…oh.my.God.”

He buried his head into the crook of her neck; he had a primal urge to sink his teeth into her shoulder but thought better of it.  She had a meeting with the mayor tomorrow, and he didn’t want to leave her with that visible of a mark.  That is why he was careful to not kiss or suck on her neck, either.  She wasn’t as worried, her nails were digging into his shoulder, she was clinging on for dear life.

Sabrina began to contract her walls around him, providing friction that heightened Chris’ sensation and only made him want to push harder and faster.  It didn’t take long for Sabrina to cum, her cries muffled as she bit her lip and buried her head in the crook of Chris’ neck.  He loved the feeling of her orgasm around him, her cries, her quaking walls – he was able to hold out just a little longer, but not much.  Within moments, he was letting go; grunting in her ear and stilling himself.  His breath was ragged and for a moment, he was utterly unable to move.

Slowly Sabrina let her leg fall from his hip, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling her nails out of his skin.  She held him tight, feeling his heart beat against her chest; it felt as if it would pound out of his own.  His breathing was ragged, so was hers, but he did all of the work.  Finally, he stepped back, gazing into her eyes.  He was afraid he couldn’t hide the feelings he was having for her; that wasn’t just him fucking a woman against a window.  She cupped his face, pulling him to her and kissing him softly.

“That was incredible, Chris.  I’m sorry that you’re going to need another shower.”

He let out a soft laugh, “I have a feeling you aren’t that sorry.”

She still held his face in her hands, “You’re right,” she smiled back at him, “I’m not.  How about you join me for mine?”

“I never thought I would say these words, but I’m not so sure I have anything left after that.”

“It can be just a shower, Chris.  Come on,” she moved to take his hand and led him into the bathroom.  He leaned over to pick up his towel, making sure not to leave it on the bedroom floor.

~ * ~

The constant sound of the camera clicks filled the small room.  The telescope was trained on the window just across the river, the 80th floor of the Aqua building.  He had spent his evenings watching the penthouse apartment every night, taking pictures of Sabrina doing the most mundane things like washing dishes or working in her office nook.  Every night her routine was the same, close the blinds and the curtains, turn the lights on in the bedroom and then, presumably get ready for bed.  He had never been able to get a picture of her in lingerie or half-dressed, let alone naked. 

He had made connections with one of the guards in her building, bribing him to keep him updated when she would have guests in her apartment.  The guard called him yesterday, telling him that she had a male guest and that he would be staying for a few days.  The guard said his name was Chris Evans but wouldn’t release any details about the man. 

He watched the windows all night, nothing.  He was pretty sure that this would be another bust.  But his camera was set to begin taking pictures when there was movement; the shutter clicking made Kyle check out the telescope.  To his surprise, Sabrina was opening the blinds and gazing out the window, she was completely naked.  While he would enjoy these pictures for himself, he also knew they would allow him to increase the amount of money that he was receiving monthly.  There was no way Sabrina would risk these photos being leaked to the press.

What he didn’t expect, was the man coming up behind her.  He couldn’t see his face, but he had to guess that it was Chris, the man the security guard told him about.  The angle of the camera, along with the window brace and the curtain, kept him from getting a good shot of him.  He figured that it didn’t matter much anyway, the guy was probably just another boy toy that Sabrina had picked up, he was of no consequence.

As Chris moved behind Sabrina and began to make love to her, Kyle could not deny that he was turned on.  He unzipped his jeans and freed himself from the confines of his briefs.  As he watched his wife, although she would emphasize the “ex” in front of that, he stroked himself.  He could tell from their movements that she was close, and he could remember what she felt like around him; his movements up and down his own shaft increased, and it didn’t take long for him to orgasm.  He imagined he was climaxing at the same time she was, he always loved when they came together. 

When Chris and Sabrina were done, Kyle reached for a t-shirt to clean himself up, and then checked the video equipment.  The video was crisp and clear – even for not getting Chris’ face, Sabrina’s was clear as day.  The pictures from the camera were golden as well.  He knew this would be a good payday when he brought these to her attention, he just had to wait for the right opportunity.

He had to leave to head back to his design firm within the next few days.  He had been working on a project and didn’t have to be on-site to do his drawings.  But now that the project work was done, he had to go into the office to turn it in and get the details for the next job.  Depending on the work involved, it would determine when and if he would be back to visit Sabrina so he could confront her about the photos.

~ * ~

Chris had not stayed in the shower long, he had only needed to rinse off.  He stepped out, dried off and dressed and announced he was going downstairs to see about fixing something for lunch.  Sabrina watched him exit the bathroom, and it was at that moment that the gravity of what they had done hit her.  It was her fault, she should not have been naked when she opened the blinds.  She had put them both at risk, and her mind began to race.  Just last night she gave the warning of the potential for people to watch with telescopes and how she didn't want to risk someone watching them being intimate.  Then she goes and stands naked in front of the window and lets him have his way with her for the entire world to see. 

Tears began to streak down her face, she had to get it all out now because she could not risk letting Chris see her cry or worry about this.  No, that would only make him worry about it, and he didn't need that.  Hell, she didn't need it, either. 

She stood under the scalding hot stream of water, the hot water was her punishment for what she had let happen.  The problem was, she liked it; she liked the 'danger' of being on display even though they were so far up that the chances anyone could see them were slim.  She liked the fact that she allowed herself to do something she would not do 'normally.'  She liked the fact that this man, whom she only just met, had allowed her to open up and find a part of herself that she didn't know existed.

The water began to turn cold, and Sabrina turned off the shower, stepping out to dry off and get dressed.  She put on a light dusting of makeup, just to cover up the fact that she had been crying.  The hot shower might have washed away the tears, but it certainly did nothing for the puffy, red eyes that were a clear giveaway.  She dried her hair, pulled on a pair of pants and a t-shirt and made her way down the stairs.  She attempted to put on a happy face and hide the fear and guilt.

Chris was standing at the island in the center of the kitchen scrolling through his phone.  He glanced up as turned from the bottom step into the kitchen, “Hey, I was starting to worry.  I thought maybe you went down the drain or something.”

She forced a smile, “No, sorry, I just lost track of time, the hot water felt good.  Did you find something to eat?”

“Yeah, I made some pasta, thought that might be safe,” he smiled and could feel the flush in his cheeks, “Well, safe from the perspective that I can’t cook anything else, and your pantry is a little bare.”

“I’m okay with pasta,” she remarked as she walked closer to him, “So, you're glued to your phone, something interesting?” 

“Audrey has been trying to reach me,” he murmurs, “I turned the phone on while you were in the shower, just to make sure no one in my family was trying to reach me.  She’s left me half a dozen voicemails and a ton of text messages.”

“She wants to know where you are, I am sure.”

“Yeah, and where you are.  She is freaked out that you didn’t come to work, and you won’t answer your phone.  Her one voicemail said she’s been trying to call you since yesterday afternoon, she’s worried something has happened to you,” he looked at her, trying to gauge her reaction.  When she didn’t seem moved, he continued, “Her last voicemail, though, she said she is guessing we are together and fucking like bunnies which would explain why we aren’t answering our phones.”

Sabrina shook her head, “I’d call her, but then I’d have to listen to her yell at me for not having my phone on.  I’m not sure I’m in the mood for that.”

“I don’t blame you, I’m not going to respond until I leave tomorrow.  I don’t want her to lecture me or try to get me to put you on the phone.”

“Why don’t you get us something to drink, I’ll serve up lunch since you cooked, deal?”  She leaned over and kissed his cheek, “I don’t want to discuss Audrey anymore, but thank you for not texting her or calling her.”

As they sat down to eat, Chris watched Sabrina carefully, he could tell that she was hiding something.  He was already learning how to read her body language, and honestly, her eyes gave away so much.  They were eating in virtual silence, so he decided to bring it up, “You want to tell me why you’re upset?”

Sabrina’s heart stopped. Actually, all movement ceased, she wasn’t anticipating the question.  She swallowed hard, trying to figure out how she was going to answer him.  Should she be truthful and tell him that she was worried about what happened upstairs?  Or, should she attribute it all to his leaving?

“Do you want to talk about it?”  Chris asked with his head tilted and eyebrows raised.

“No, not really,” she dropped her eyes to the table, not wanting to make eye contact with him.  “I have so many different things going on in my head, Chris.  It isn’t one thing, one action, one reaction; it makes no sense, I know and I can’t fully explain it.”

“I think there is one thing that is really bothering you, though, am I right?  One thing more than any other?”

She needed to be honest, no secrets, it wasn’t going to do her any good to lie.  “Fine, yeah, I’m worried about this morning.  I was so insistent last night that we are careful, and I allowed us to be careless.  I exposed us, quite literally.”

Chris let out a laugh, he felt as if he needed to play this off for her benefit.  “You do realize we are on the 80th floor, and no one on the street can see us, right?  There are no office buildings on your side of this tower, no one could see us this morning, sweetheart.  You’re paranoid for no reason.”

The truth was, he had been worrying about this as well.  In fact, he had done nothing but think of it while he was fixing lunch; wondering if anyone was watching and if he should be concerned.  But he didn’t want Sabrina to know that because it would only make her anxiety worse. 

“So, you’re not scared, at all?” Her question was tentative.

“That’s irrelevant, I can’t let my life be dictated by fear.  If I did, I probably would never get out of bed.  For damn sure I wouldn’t be Captain America, probably would never have become an actor,” he watched her carefully, something wasn’t settling right with him because this didn’t seem like the confident, take no prisoners business woman that he met last week.  “You don’t look like the kind of person who has let fear ever dictate your life, Sabrina.  What aren’t you telling me?”

“I’ve never let fear stop me, I just have anxiety about this morning, that’s all.  I can’t shake it, and I can’t quite explain it,” she could explain it, the text message this morning had set warning bells off and she did not want to talk to Chris about that.  No, Kyle was something that needed to stay quiet for a while longer.

~ * ~

Audrey Clarke was starting to get worried, Sabrina had not shown up for work and had not left her any messages.  When she had arrived at work, a little after 6 am, the office was still dark, and the alarm was still set.  This was odd, especially for a Monday, Sabrina was always known for being in the office early on a Monday to get a jumpstart on the week.  She had tried calling her cell, no answer, it went straight to voicemail.  That early in the morning, Audrey figured Sabrina was in the shower or even in the elevator, no signal, no answer, no big deal.  But as the clock neared 8 am and she was still not in, Audrey was getting concerned.

At promptly 8 am, Alice Woodring, Sabrina’s Assistant, knocked on her door, “Ma’am, do you have a moment?”

Audrey looked up, the look on Alice’s face was a bit concerning, “Sure, is everything alright, Alice?”  
  


“Ms. Burnham left a voicemail last evening on my phone.  It appears she is going to take today and tomorrow morning off, and she has asked me to clear her calendar of any meetings.  She wanted me to make you aware.  I’m also to let you know that she will not be answering her cell.”

“She said that?  Did she tell you where she is?  What she is doing?”

“No, ma’am, she didn’t provide any details at all.”

Audrey hung her head, she could only guess what this meant, “Thank you, Alice.  I appreciate you letting me know.  If she reaches out and contacts you, will you please let her know that I have to talk to her?”

“Yes, ma’am, I will,” Alice nodded politely and turned to walk back toward her desk.

Audrey picked up her phone and immediately tried calling Sabrina again.  She knew what Alice had just said, but she was going to try calling her anyway.  Damn, the call went directly to voicemail. So, in fact, her phone was off.  Sabrina never turned her phone off, especially when large deals were hanging in the balance; she could literally not afford to be incommunicado. 

She figured the cloak and dagger bullshit meant that she was with Chris.  She knew that if he were actually in California, it would be really early, but she didn’t care.  She dialed his number, anticipating he was across town with her best friend.  The phone rang a few times and then went to voicemail, at least his phone was not off.  She texted him, figuring that probably they wouldn’t talk on the phone, but might at least return a text.

By late morning, she had left multiple messages for Chris, both voicemail and text.  He wasn’t answering, he was electing to ignore her, which was infuriating!  By this point, she was starting to wonder if he was in Chicago.  She made a call over to the Trump Hotel, she wanted to see if he had checked out.  She knew what name he was registered under, it wasn’t his own name, so she was able to ask without it raising flags.  She had confirmation, he had checked out on Sunday; if he was in town, he was at her place.

Audrey tried to put it out of her mind, she didn’t want to think about what they might be doing.  Actually, she didn’t have to think about what they were doing, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out.  The problem was, she didn’t want to think about, it hurt too much to consider it.  What was bothering her the most was the idea that Sabrina would be blowing off work for potentially blowing Chris.  Not that she would blame her, she would do the same if ever provided the opportunity, but Sabrina never blew off work for any man. 

As the day went on, she grew more and more agitated at the lack of communication from Sabrina.  She had left a couple of voicemails for her as well as an email or two.  She had also left voicemails, texts, and emails for Chris; several of the messages for Chris told him to have Sabrina call right away.  Audrey looked at the clock, it was 1:30.  The RFI for Boston was done, all she needed was Sabrina’s signature, she could even get it electronically if she would just answer her messages.

Audrey pushed herself away from her desk and walked over to where Alice was seated.  Her heels digging into the hardwood, she was walking with intent and purpose.  “Alice,” her voice boomed a little louder than she had wanted, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell.  Has she reached out to you at all?”  Audrey motioned toward Sabrina’ office door.

“No, I haven’t heard from her at all.  Honestly, I’m not anticipating that I will.”

“I need to get her signature on some documents that are time sensitive.  Do you think you can try calling her?”

“She told me her phone would be off, ma’am.  I don’t think calling her would do much good.”

“Fuck!”  Audrey put her hands on her hips and began to  pace back and forth in front of Alice’s desk, “Fine, I’ll just head over there and knock on her damn door.”  She marched off before Alice could speak up and stop her.

Audrey grabbed the large RFI binder from her desk, her purse, and her keys and walked out of the office toward her car.  The Burnham Design offices were a few blocks from the Aqua building, on a good day, she would be willing to walk.  However, she was angry, and this wasn’t a good day, so she was taking a cab. 

As the cab pulled in front of the Aqua building, Audrey started to get out before it completely stopped.  She tossed some bills at the driver before exiting and marched into the lobby of the building, heading straight for the security desk.  “Hi, Gregory, can you give me access to the elevator? I need to get up to see Ms. Burnham.”

“Hi, Ms. Clarke, I’m sorry, but I can’t give you access.  I’ve been given strict instructions, no interruptions unless it was an emergency.”

“What?  Come on, Gregory.  You know me, you know my position with her company, this is an emergency.”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Clarke, but the building isn’t on fire, so it isn’t an emergency.”

“Damn it, Gregory!  I’m not kidding, there is a multi-million dollar deal on the line here, and I need her signature, that’s all.  Call up there this minute and tell her to get her scrawny ass down here and sign this fucking document!”

Gregory hung his head, he hated that Audrey was angry, but he could not go against the wishes of Ms. Burnham.  He valued his job too much, Ms. Burnham could fire him, Ms. Clarke would just yell and curse at him.  “Ms. Clarke, I do understand you are upset, but I cannot interrupt her.  She was very specific that they not be bothered.”

“They?  She has someone up there?  Who?  Is it a man, Gregory?”

“I’m not at liberty to discuss that, ma’am,” he realized he slipped up, and he had to quickly try and recover.

“She’s got Chris up there, doesn’t she?  Damn her!”  Audrey slammed the binder on the security desk, the sound reverberating through the lobby, causing more than a few people to turn and stare.  She pulled her cell out of her pocket and began to walk away from the desk as she dialed Sabrina’s number.  When the call connected and the voicemail message provided the beep, Audrey let her have it, “I’m in the lobby and you have 5 minutes to get your ass downstairs and sign this binder for the Boston RFI.  I’m not kidding, Sabrina, you let this deal die, I’m not taking the fall for this.  Your security team won’t call upstairs, and they won’t give me access, get down here, now!”

She emphatically hit the end call button and then quickly dialed Chris’ number.  The phone rang several times and rolled over to his voicemail, again she left a rather terse email, “Chris, tell Sabrina to get to the lobby right now.  I’m not kidding, she needs to sign this document for this deal, or she risks losing millions.  Tell her to put some goddamn clothes on and get down here.”

She hung up and sent a text message to him that virtually said the same thing.  As she finished, she looked over at the security desk and noticed that Gregory was watching her intently.  She stood straight, pulled her shoulders back, and walked back to the desk.  “When did she come home?  I mean, specifically, when did she give you the do not disturb notification?”

“Yesterday, she came back to the building around 11:30, ma’am.  And, before you ask, they have not left the building since she came home.”

“I was afraid you were going to say that,” Audrey picked up the binder and began walking toward the door, heading out to the street to hail a cab back to the office.

“Ms. Clarke, the five minutes you gave her have not passed,” Gregory called after her, somewhat worried that she was leaving with time left on the clock.

“Face it, Gregory, she isn’t coming downstairs.  That was the sixth or seventh message I’ve left for her today, and she hasn’t answered any of them, she isn’t going to respond to this one either,” Audrey was dejected, her tone and body movements clearly indicated it.

~ * ~

Chris and Sabrina were cleaning up the mess from lunch when his cell phone began buzzing on the kitchen counter.  Sabrina walked over and looked at the screen, “It’s Audrey calling, again,” she announced, with a touch of bitterness in her voice, “I thought you were turning your phone off?”

He walked up behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder and kissing the back of her head, “I’m not answering it, so does it matter if it is ringing?  But, this is the sixth or seventh time she’s called, you realize it could be important, right?”

Sabrina’s head dropped, and she let out a defeated sigh, “She just wants to rain on our parade you know.  Tell you what a horrible person I am so she can have you all to yourself,” she let out a laugh and turned to face Chris.

He slid his arms around her waist, “She is not like that, and you know it.  Audrey and I do not have that sort of relationship, we are friends and good ones, at that.”

“You know, she’s not talked to me about how you two met or anything.  I may regret this, but, did you sleep with her?”

Chris let go of her waist and stepped back, putting space between them.  He was standing directly across from her, his ass against the counter, her’s on the island; it wasn’t a lot of space, but it was enough.  He was nervous to talk about this, he didn’t want to open up about himself and her best friend.  He slowly shook his head, “No, I didn’t sleep with her, but I did kiss her, more than once.  There was no, how do I put this, spark or intensity.”

“Wow, really?  But you were attracted to her?”

“Sabrina, why are you doing this?” He asked and just stared at her, waiting for a response that didn’t come.  “Fine, we were drunk, in a casino in Vegas.  She was playing blackjack and winning, I was at the table, and yeah, I was drawn to her.  She’s a beautiful woman, she cursed like a sailor and drank like a fish.  We talked, and she never tried to impress me or treated me differently; later I realized she had no clue who the hell I was, which made the whole thing even better.”  He stopped, trying to gauge Sabrina’s reaction, once again, she had none.  She had only moved slightly, crossing her arms over her chest and letter her gaze because more intense.  “I did take her back to my room, I did kiss her and try to get her out of her clothes, but it didn’t feel right.”

“So you stopped, or she stopped you?”

Her question and tone made him stand up straight and close the gap between them, “Are you asking if I was forcing myself on her?  Wow, you have some god damned nerve.”  He picked up his phone off the counter, it had been sitting off to the side of where Sabrina had been standing.

“No, I’m not asking if you intended to rape her for fuck’s sake, Chris,” she took off after him, he was walking away from her, and his stride was long.  He was to the stairs before she had even gotten away from the island.  She reached out and grabbed his arm, “I’m asking if you realized it didn’t feel right or if she did?  I have a reason for my question, and it has nothing to do with whether I think you are a bad guy or not.  And for the record, I don’t believe that you are.”

He noticed that her eyes were soft, she wasn’t glaring at him with bitterness or anger.  Her touch was not rough, but he felt as if she was pleading with him.  The entire situation was suddenly different in his eyes, “Then why are you asking?”

“Come on, sit with me and I’ll explain, but I am not making you the villain.”

 


	12. Chapter 12

 

As Sabrina and Chris stood at the stairway, he was confused as to why this line of questioning had started in the first place.  What was her game and what was she trying to prove?  Her eyes were pleading with him, and her touch on his arm was soft.

“Come on, sit with me and I’ll explain, but I am not making you the villain.”

He turned and looked down at her, “If you’re not making me the bad guy, why does it feel that way?”  He couldn’t hide the hurt.

Sabrina moved her hand down his arm, lacing her fingers with his and walked him toward the sitting area across from the kitchen.  She motioned for him to sit on the couch, taking the seat next to him, she snuggled up to him and wrapped her arm around his stomach.  “Since you came to town, Audrey has acted a little different.  I can’t explain it and even if I could, it would probably sound funny to you.  She is the one who mentioned that she met you in Vegas, and you two were friends only.  I asked her if anything was going on between the two of you and she said no.”

“But you didn’t believe her?”

“No, that’s the thing, I did believe her.  She suggested that I go out with you, I felt like she was sort of pushing us together, Chris, and I didn’t mind it all.  For the record, I still don’t mind,” she looked up at him as she spoke those words, letting him know she meant it and trying to convey that he means something to her. “But ever since we started getting close, her attitude has changed a little.”

“How so?  I guess I haven’t seen it, but you spend more time with her than I do.”

“She has these wild swings where one minute she is all for us going out and then the pendulum swings, and she is against it.  Then it swings back, and she is for it again  Then at the hotel she was fighting with you.  Wait, sorry, you said you were having a spirited discussion,” she looked back with a smile, letting him know that she was well aware that it was a fight.  “She’s calling you and texting you like crazy today, I think she has feelings for you.”

Chris had been listening to her intently and even found himself agreeing with her, until this point.  Now he thought she was grasping at straws and being ridiculous.  “For the record, I’m the one who put the brakes on things with Audrey.  The fact that nothing happened sexually probably worked out better for our friendship.  She’s one of the few people in my life, that’s not family, that has no problem being blunt and honest with me.  I think you’re off base, there has never been any time in the last year where I’ve felt like she had feelings for me.”

“Really?  And you think I’m off base now?”  She didn’t need to look at him for his answer.  Her head was on his chest, she could hear the beating of his heart and the fact that the pace was quicker than it was five minutes ago.  “Tell me you don’t think it is ironic that she is trying to call you so much today when she thinks you are home in California.”

Chris moved, pushing her forward a bit so he could make her look at him, “Sabrina, did you ever think she is calling me looking for you?  It could have absolutely nothing to do with me or whatever you think her supposed feelings are for me.  What if she is trying to find you because she is worried about you?”

She gave him a confused look, tilted her head and raised her eyebrows, “She knows where I live, I left word with Alice, you heard me leave the message.  Why would she be calling you to find out where I am?  No, I think she wants you.”

Sabrina was not backing down, and Chris didn’t know whether to laugh at her or take her seriously and talk her off the ledge.  The longer he looked at her, the more he believed she was serious, she actually thought Audrey had the hots for him.  “Why don’t you let me just listen to her voicemail or read her text messages and find out what he wants?  Better yet, I’ll just call her,” he reached for his phone and Sabrina snatched it from his hand, placing it back on the coffee table in front of them, “Or, I could leave it on the table, and we could continue with this ridiculous conversation.”

“Okay, so maybe she is looking for me, but why?  You have to admit it seems odd, right?  She argued with both of us in that hotel room, she’s just not herself.”

“You think she has unrequited love for me?  You’re so sweet,” he pulled Sabrina back to him, she snuggled back into his arms, resting her head on his chest. “Let me be clear about something, I adore Audrey, she’s fantastic and a valued and trusted friend of mine.  I could not imagine not having her around, but I do not have the same feelings for her that I have for you.  I’m not interested in sleeping with her, do you understand?”

Sabrina nodded her head, deciding to drop the subject.  So she knew that Chris wasn’t interested, but that didn’t mean Audrey wasn’t.  It was plausible that Audrey was trying to get ahold of her through him; she could turn on her own phone and see if she had messages waiting.  The problem was, she was afraid there were messages from someone other than Audrey, and those were the ones she wanted to avoid.

~ * ~

Audrey hailed a cab and made her way back to the Burnham Design offices.  She was furious with Sabrina, she could not hide it, even though she should for the sake of those in the office.  The two of them had been in nasty confrontations before, although never in the office or in front of co-workers.  No, they had been behind closed doors and in private.  However, this one was going to be particularly brutal.

The elevator was moving at a snail’s pace, and it was not helping her mood at all.  When the doors finally opened, and she stepped into the reception area, it was almost 3 pm.  She had decisions to make, and a meeting for the Boston RFI was starting in the conference room right now.  She took off in that direction, making a dramatic entrance into the packed room.  All eyes shifted to look at her.

“Sorry, I know I’m a few minutes late,”  Audrey took her spot at the head of the table, dropping the binder, allowing it to make a loud thud.  “The RFI is complete, I want to thank everyone for their hard work on this.  I have done the final review and made sure all of the T’s are crossed, and the I’s are dotted.  Everything appears to be in order, and it just needs to have Sabrina’s signature, that is where we have an issue.”

Misty Weiss, the Marketing Manager, cleared her throat and sat up in her chair, “I noticed that Ms. Burnham is out, and I’ve been told she won’t be in until late tomorrow.  Are we going to get her signature in time for this to be submitted?”

All eyes had turned to Misty when she spoke, and now they had turned back to Audrey while they awaited her response.  She dropped her head, tapped on the binder and contemplated how to handle the response.  Finally, she decided to just tell them the truth, “I have no idea, Misty.  She left a message on her Assistant’s voicemail saying she was out, and I’ve not been able to get ahold of her.  She won’t return calls or emails, I’ve gone to her building, and I’ve been denied access to her apartment.  If I can’t get in front of her with this binder, I can’t get her signature and then we can’t move forward.  So, no, I don’t know that I’m going to get her signature in time, and I’m frankly beginning to freak out about it.”

Once again, Misty decided to speak up, Marketing was always full of ideas.  “Audrey, you know Sabrina’s signature better than anyone.  Can you just sign it and send the document on its way?  I mean, save the deal, right?”

“I’ve considered it, but I’m not going to do it,”  Audrey was pretty sure she heard the collective gasp in the room when she said those words.  She turned and found the chair behind her, pulled it forward and took a seat.  “Look, I sign it, and she reams me out for forging her signature.  I don’t sign it, and she reams me out for not doing all I could to get the deal to go forward.  I’m in a catch-22, and I don’t like it.  I know I’m going to get blamed for this no matter what I do.”

The room was silent; the best way to describe it was awkward.  After a moment, Audrey adjourned the meeting, and several participants excused themselves from the room.  A few of the key managers remained, each one wanting to offer advice or guidance.

“Guys, before you start in, I know, I should sign her name to it, send it off and pretend this didn’t happen.”

“Audrey, do you know where she is?”  Walter Helton, the Comptroller, asked.  He rarely spoke in any of these meetings, but she could tell he had something on his mind, “I respect Ms. Burnham a great deal, I believe she deserves time off, and I believe this entire scenario slipped her mind.  I think when she realizes what happened, the fact that we sent the binder off, even with a forged signature, will make her happy since she wants this project.”

“Walter, I disagree,” Daniel Hodge, the Manager of Design Implementation, chimed in, “She wants this project, she should have been here to sign the binder.  Audrey’s right, the blame will come whether it is signed and sent off or not, we’re in a no-win situation here.  Without Sabrina’s approval over every page in that binder, we run the risk of it going out unapproved and it biting us in the ass later.”

Within minutes, the skirmish between Walter, Daniel and Misty was well underway.  Audrey sat back and watched, almost wishing she had popcorn for this.  They did the arguing for her as to whether she should sign and send off the binder or just let it ride.  After a good twenty minutes, Audrey elected to remove herself from the fray and go back to her office.

~ * ~

Kyle Chapman checked his bank balance, the wire transfer had hit, and he now had the $15k in his bank account.  He quickly moved $14k of it over to a secret account, he knew he had to keep it safe until it was time to pay off his loan.  With the money he kept in his account, he quickly booked a flight back home.  He was lucky that his job provided him the opportunity to work on his plans and designs wherever he wanted; he wasn’t bound to the office.

Everyone he worked with thought that Kyle was, to say the least, different.  He had been employed in a large firm in Chicago, had collaborated with well-known architects and suddenly gave it all up and moved to a small company in Austin.  Kyle was a talented designer, he had a promising career ahead of him, but Chicago wasn’t working for him.  The principals figured Kyle wanted to be a big fish in a small pond versus the small fish in a big pond; Chicago was a hard market to make a name for yourself, the competition was just too stiff.  But the principals quickly realized that Kyle’s issues were deeper than that, they saw the wedding photo he displayed on his bookshelf.

It’s hard to make a name for yourself when you’re married to the biggest name in Chicago architecture.  He was in a shadow he would never get out of as long as he was in the same city.  Kyle had been in Austin for about a year when two Detectives from Chicago showed up in the office, wanting to have a word with him.  The principals from the office, along with their counsel, joined the Detectives and Kyle in the large conference room.

“Mr. Chapman, I’m Detective Tuttle, this is Detective Owen, we would like to talk to you about the Maxson Title Building in Oak Park.  Are you familiar with that building, sir?”

Kyle’s head snapped back, a confused look spread across his face, “Um, yeah, I designed that building when I worked for Percy Wolford in Chicago.  I was overseeing the construction project, mind you I wasn’t at the construction site managing the build; I was just controlling the cost of the project. Why, what’s this all about?”

Owen sat forward, opening the file folder that sat on the table in front of him, “Mr. Chapman, the building collapsed three days ago, killing ninety-five construction workers,” he slid the photos across the table to a horrified Kyle.  The reactions of the others at the table clearly showed their horror at the scene as well.  “There were approximately twenty workers that were injured and several people nearby that were injured as well.”

George Denby, the principal in the firm where Kyle was currently working, sat forward and cleared his throat, “I take it the building was not completed?  How close to completion was it?”

Tuttle decided to field this question, “It was about 85% complete, sir.  It was set for a preliminary inspection next week, ironically enough.”

Nick McClain, the counsel for the firm, tossed his hat into the impending circus, “I guess you have some specific questions for Mr. Chapman in regards to his involvement in this building?”

Owen and Tuttle looked at one another, nodded, then Owen spoke up, “Yes, precisely, when did Mr. Chapman leave the project and why?  Was he aware of any issues with the building upon his departure?”

Kyle hung his head, he would have to dredge up the painful part of his life, the part he was trying to bury.  “I left the project about a year ago, the building was probably 40% done at the time.  I quit my job at Percy Wolford, my choice, I was not fired, in case you’re wondering.  I was going through a rather painful divorce and wanted out of Chicago.”

“Were there issues with the construction of the building?  Any problems that you were aware of?”

“No, none that I was aware of, we were on schedule when I left.  Inspections were good, we passed without problems and never had delays.  Do you know why the building collapsed?  I mean, what caused it?”

“That is still an ongoing investigation.  There are a few theories, and we should know more in a day or so,”  Tuttle and Owen both pushed back their chairs and stood up.  They began to step away from the table and head for the door, stopping to thank everyone for their cooperation.

“Mr. Chapman, we will be in touch, I trust you will make yourself available for questions?”  Tuttle asked, before walking out of the room.

Kyle stammered for a minute, “Um, absolutely, sure.  I mean, I don’t know what information I can provide since I’ve been gone for a year, but I’ll make myself available.”

The detectives thanked them, and George Denby walked them out.  Kyle sat back down, resting his head in his hands, shocked and sickened over what he had just been told.  The problem was, he knew what caused the collapse, knew it would come back to him, knew it would not end well.

Kyle pulled himself together, walked out of the conference room and into his office.  He quietly shut his door and began making a few phone calls.  He needed to see what he could do to make this go away.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t much he could do.  Over the next few months, it had come to light that the Maxson Title building was going up with subpar steel and concrete; the project was under budget because Kyle was cutting corners.  He was using mob-connected businesses and paying for less than premium product, figuring that no one would ever know.  The inspectors that were being used were ‘on the take’ so they never had to worry about anything being discovered as less than quality work.  His construction foreman, he didn’t approve of what was happening, but he was being paid to stay quiet.

It was true that Kyle left because of his divorce; Sabrina wanted him out of Chicago and was willing to pay him to leave.  He wanted a piece of the Burnham legacy in the divorce settlement and wanted to go to court to get it.  The problem was, she would bring up the domestic abuse and he couldn’t let that get out.  Honestly, she couldn’t let that get out either; it would do damage to them both.  Sabrina finally agreed to pay him a monthly stipend, the court would have never made her do it, but it would get the divorce over with quickly, and that is what she wanted.

The original amount, $1500 per month, was modest and would help pay Kyle’s living expenses.  But with this building collapse, he would be on the verge of criminal and civil charges.  He would be wiped out, and he knew it.  He also knew it would cause him to lose this job.  The only thing that could save him was that his design was sound, the construction wasn’t, but the design of the building was not flawed.

It had taken almost a year before the investigation was complete and indictments were handed down against Kyle, his construction foreman, and the steel and concrete providers.  It had been determined that Kyle was negligent on both the design of his building and as the construction project manager.  His design was flawed, he left out certain support beams that would have meant the building would not have been structurally sound even if quality products had been used.

Kyle’s lawyer was what you would call ‘connected.’  Roscoe Pollard was a well-connected lawyer who had a history of throwing motion after motion at the court and keeping cases from seeing the light of day.  He was going to do all he could to discredit the State’s case against Kyle.  Considering the mob was paying for Roscoe’s firm to get the cases thrown out for every one of the defendants, there as a lot riding on this.

George Denby had pulled Kyle into his office after the indictment was handed down.  He questioned him about what was going on when the building in Chicago was designed, who had approved the design, and was anyone above Kyle overseeing the project.  Denby was concerned over having his name connected to projects Kyle was involved with, and with good reason.  If clients in Austin knew that a man responsible for killing nearly one hundred people had worked on their building, there were be hysteria.  Denby could not afford to lose clients.    For now, Denby wouldn’t fire Kyle, after all, there were only charges levied against him, and he had not been found guilty of anything.  But it was well within his rights to relegate Kyle to working on projects and not having his name prominent on the plans.  It was also within his right to have everything run past structural engineers and double checked before work was ever started on a construction site.

Kyle realized this meant he was on a very tight leash.  He blamed Sabrina for the mess he was in.  If the bitch had not filed for divorce, if she had not kept him preoccupied with that whole bitter mess, this would not be happening to him.  She was the one responsible for those people dying, this was all her and by God, she was going to pay for it.

Kyle had material that would do hard to Sabrina, he had videotaped them being intimate for years without her knowing it.  Those tapes would bring in a fortune!  He called her and began blackmailing her, sending her small clips of the videos to prove what he had.  His monthly stipend jumped from $1500 to $5000 right away.  Over the course of the next few years, as the court case dragged on, he would make trips to Chicago and keep tabs on her.   Lucky for him, she was a creature of habit, he could easily find her in the bars and restaurants where they would frequent when they were together.  He would see her with men, photograph them together, and save the pictures for when he needed them.  The stalking increased over the years, as did his gallery of photos and videos.

His monthly stipend increased as well, he was now up to $15,000 per month.  His guess was that Audrey, her best friend, and attorney, had no idea about the payments.  If she had known, he would have been shut down a long time ago.  He was also fairly sure it would have been brought to light in the court case and used against him.  Roscoe was able to get the criminal charges thrown out for insufficient evidence.  There was no proof that there was malice or intent, it was tragic and an accident.  Roscoe was slick, how he did it, Kyle was not sure.  Honestly, he didn’t care, he was just glad he wasn’t going to jail.  The civil cases, well that was another story.  The families had all gone in together, and Roscoe had gotten them all to agree to a settlement, a lump sum to be divided equally among them.

Kyle didn’t have to pay for it, the mob boss, Vincent Saldonna, had covered it for everyone.  Now, Kyle was in debt to him and had to pay him back his portion of the settlement; Kyle owed Vinnie a little over $12 million dollars.  Vinnie knew there would be no way he would recoup that much money from Kyle Chapman all at once.  No, he would expect regular payments from Kyle, as well as the occasional favor to help pay off the debt.  Kyle was aware this meant he could never say no to anything that Vinnie asked for; if he did, it meant certain death.

~ * ~

Audrey gathered her things, picked up the binder, and began walking toward Alice’s desk.  It was almost 6 pm, and she knew that Alice would be going home very soon.  Just as she approached, she noticed that Alice was turning off her computer and desk light.

“Heading home for the evening, Alice?”

“Yes, Ms. Clarke, I think I am.  With Ms. Burnham out, I have everything wrapped up, and I can get out of here on time.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear that,”  Audrey took a few steps as if she was leaving.  She then turned back to face Alice, “You didn’t hear from her this afternoon did you?  I mean, she didn’t check in or anything?”

Alice shook her head, she hated to have to give this answer, “No, I’m sorry.  I did send her an email to ask that she give a call to the office, but I’ve not yet heard from her.  I’m sorry, ma’am.”

“No worries, Alice.  Thank you for trying,” Audrey turned back and started for the elevators.  She knew that all night long she was going to stew over this entire situation.  She had not looked at her phone in the last two hours, but it had not chirped or rang so she was certain that no one had texted or called.  But, for the sake of argument, she went ahead and confirmed.  Nothing, no return calls from Chris or Sabrina.

Her mood was no better than it was earlier in the day, it was ridiculous to be this worked up.  It was one project and honestly this was a business dossier, a request for information, nothing more than a permission slip to allow them to bid on a project when bidding opened.  Sabrina had never been that worked up over an RFI in the past, had never been that worried about even completing them in the past.

Audrey had this inner debate the entire way home.  She knew why this was important, two building designs, two cities, massive project and high profile.  The kind of project that Sabrina thrives on, the project that would elevate her standing in the architectural world.  While she might be well known and well respected in some circles, there were still some people who dismissed her out of hand because she was a woman.  Audrey knew that Sabrina worked extra hard to overcome the sexism she encountered; it was far less common than it was when they first started years earlier, but it was still out there.

Audrey let herself into her apartment, dropping her things on the kitchen counter, heading straight for the bottle of wine that was sitting on the counter.  She had purchased it the evening before when she went to the store, thinking she would fix a nice dinner and enjoy a glass.  But tonight, she was not in the mood for the dinner, just the wine.   She opened the bottle, poured a glass and took a seat in the living room, staring out over the river.  A light rain was starting to fall, and she started her internal argument all over again.

Although this time, she added into the mix her anger over what Sabrina was doing right now that was keeping her from being around to sign the binder.  Audrey would not deny that her best friend worked too many hours and put too much stress on herself.  The pressure was immense, everyone had a breaking point.  What was infuriating, was the idea that she decided to take time off when there were big projects that needed attention, leaving no way for anyone to reach her, and doing it all for a man.  If Audrey was really honest with herself, it wasn’t that it was a man, it was because of who that man was.  It was Chris, he was her man, he didn’t belong to Sabrina.

She knew this was her fault, she introduced the two of them.  Hell, she even pushed the two of them to go out together.  What was she thinking?  She honestly didn’t think her feelings for Chris were this intense.  She loved talking to him on the phone, having drinks with him, hanging out, and goofing off.  Spending time with him, she knew she had feelings, the butterflies that fluttered when he walked into the room.  It made no difference if he was dressed up or casual, longer hair or buzzed cut, he was perfection every time.

This jealousy, the rage of seeing the two of them together, didn’t start to bubble until she saw the glee and joy on Sabrina’s face when she put on the dress to go to the wedding.  The anticipation she had of spending the evening with him, getting dressed up and wanting to impress him.  Knowing she played a part in that put a knot in her stomach, and knowing she even packed a bad because she knew Sabrina would spend the night with him.  The wine she was drinking was starting to taste sour.

The all out jealousy took over when Chris admitted to her that he was falling for Sabrina.  That the sex meant something, they had a connection, he was sure Sabrina felt the same way.  She hadn’t intended to start the fight with Chris, to say that Sabrina wasn’t capable of having a connection or a relationship.  It was true, she hadn’t had a real relationship in years, but was she saying it because it was true or because she was trying to sabotage the relationship?  Of course, it wasn’t like Sabrina stole him from her, Chris didn’t have those feelings for her, that was made clear back in Vegas.  It didn’t matter, she had the feelings, that is what mattered.

So did her feelings play a part in what was going on with the binder and her decision?  More than likely.  Although, everything that was said back in the conference room was spot on.  Sabrina would be angry if the binder were not sent in and she would be angry if it were sent with a forged signature.  But, she would end up being angrier if it was not sent and she lost out on an opportunity to bid on the job than she would be if the binder went out with a forged signature.

Audrey continued the argument back and forth in her head, trying to keep her emotions out of it.  Making sure her decisions for and against were based solely on the merits of the argument and had nothing to do with Chris.  However, it wasn’t that easy.  He was at the center of this entire debacle.  If Sabrina were not off fucking him, she would have her head in the game, would be in the office and this wouldn’t be a concern.  She would be around to sign the binder, the RFI would be sent off, and she would be able to bid on this project.  Instead, she is off, shacked up with him, her mind on anything but this project and expecting that everyone will have her back and get it done.

That was her answer, Audrey had Sabrina’s back every day for years; so much so that she was taken for granted.  There were times when she had wanted to confront Sabrina about it but had let it go.  Electing to maintain the status quo versus setting off a tsunami that could rip them apart.  Maybe it was time for the tide to turn, Audrey wasn’t going to play lap dog any longer.  If Sabrina wanted to this project so bad, she should have made sure that she was available to review it and sign it.  Decision made, the binder would not go.  If she lost her job over it, so be it.

Audrey took a drink of wine, it still tasted sour, she was sure it was from the bitterness that was on her lips and tongue over this entire situation.  She heaved the wine glass at the large picture window, sending shards of glass and red droplets of wine splattering everywhere in the white living space.  She stared at the wine running down the window, mimicking the rain drops.  She wished they could mimic tears, but she couldn’t cry, her emotions were raw, but tears were not something that she could ever shed.

Instead, she pulled herself out of her chair, flipped the kitchen light out and went to bed.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter is NSFW and marked as 18+ since it has adult content. If you are offended by sexual material, please skip this chapter.

Chris and Sabrina had tabled their discussion on why Audrey was calling.  They could not agree, and it was going to lead to an argument, neither of them wanted that, particularly as it was their last night together.  No, they wanted peace and tranquility for the remainder of the afternoon and evening.  They remained snuggled on the couch, the silence between them was comfortable, nothing awkward.  Sabrina had her arms wrapped around Chris, her head on his chest, nestled into the crook of his neck.  His arms around her, gently stroking her side.  This was something he could definitely get used to, a lazy day, wrapped up with a beautiful woman, not a care in the world.

Okay, so he did have a few cares.  One care was this situation with Audrey.  He had dropped it with Sabrina because he didn’t want to fight, but the truth was, something wasn’t sitting right with him.  Sabrina was firm in her belief that Audrey had feelings for him, he was firm in his belief that she was wrong.  How could both of them be reading the same situation so differently?  What was Audrey doing with one that she wasn’t doing with the other?  After all, if she were really in love with him, he’d see the signs, right?

He thought about texting Audrey, replying to one of her messages, finding out what she was needing.  Nothing more, nothing less.  It would answer the question, clear the air right away.  That is, provided she responded by saying she was merely looking for Sabrina, it was all work related.  If her response was anything other than that, well, then there could be a problem.

The last thing he wanted was for there to be friction between Sabrina and Audrey; they had been friends for too long.  He didn’t want to be the reason they would have issues now.  But he also didn’t want to lose Audrey as a friend, she had been a confidant for him over the last year, he trusted her; the number of people he could say that about, outside of his family, could be counted on two hands.  For that reason, he wouldn’t call her, but he was so tempted.

The other thing that was weighing heavily on his mind, what was to become of this when he left?  What was the relationship with Sabrina going to look like when he walked out the door tomorrow morning?  Did he even want to know?  Over and over in his mind, he heard the soundtrack from his disagreement with Audrey, “ _Prepare yourself now to be disappointed because Sabrina Burnham does not make chemical and physical connections.”_

Now he had to wonder, did Audrey tell him that because it was true or because she had her own motivations?  Damn, he was now stuck in his own head and couldn’t find his way out.  All he wanted to do was to find answers.  Something to give him direction and all he found were more questions.

He felt movement, he was startled and looked up, finding that Sabrina had untangled herself from him and stood from the couch.  She kept her back to him and seductively stretched, then turned to step directly in front of him, moving forward and taking a position on his lap, facing him and straddling his hips.  She wrapped her arms around his neck, placing her palms on the back of his head and pull him toward her.  She licked her lips before kissing him, tracing her tongue along his lips, begging for access which he gave.  The kiss told him that she craved him and wanted to command him all at the same time.

She broke the kiss, smiling and looking into Chris’ cornflower blue eyes, “You were thinking too much, I could hear the gears grinding.  You needed a distraction.”

“That was a nice distraction,” he smiled back, then leaned forward to give her a brief kiss of his own, “Sorry, I have the same problem you have, not being able to turn my brain off.”

She moved forward, putting her forehead on his, staring down into their laps, “Would you be worried about your leaving tomorrow?”

He responded with a reticent, “Yeah, I am.”

“What happens to us when you leave, Chris?”  The tone of her voice surprised him, she sounded concerned that they might be over, which is not what he had expected from her.  “I’m not sure I’m ready for you to go.”

He sat back, raised his hands to her face, lifting it so he could look into her eyes.  “I’m only leaving because I have to, not because I want to.  I have a meeting with a studio on Wednesday, if it weren't for that, I would have stayed longer.”  He tried to gauge her reaction, wanted to see if she tried to look away or divert her attention.  Instead, she continued staring into his eyes, “We need to talk about what you want when I leave, Sabrina.  What do you want for us?”

“I’m not ready for this conversation,” she said, slightly shaking her head back and forth, casting her eyes down, breaking her gaze with him.  “This means it’s real that you are leaving.”

He let out a soft laugh, “Yeah, well we have to talk about this sooner or later, and I’d rather do it now than right before my flight leaves.  This gives us time to talk about it and then,” he lifted her chin to his gaze once more, “We can do a few things to take our mind off of it, okay?”

She began to nod her head and smile, “Okay, so what do you want to talk about?  I have absolutely no experience here, I’ve got no clue what I’m doing,” she admitted.

“Well, I’m going back to Los Angeles, and I split time between there and Boston when I’m not working.  Which means, if there is going to be something between us after tomorrow, it will be long distance,” he left his statement open ended and dangling, waiting to see how she would react.   The problem was, she wasn’t responding or reacting, he was going to have to say something, she was forcing his hand.  “Do you want a relationship?  Are you wanting to consider us dating?”

She looked away, unable to hold his gaze, staring out over the city she tried to find the words, “I’m not good with relationships, Chris.  I’m afraid of the whole label thing because it’s daunting.  Wouldn’t you be scared to call me your girlfriend?”

“No,” he didn’t hesitate to answer her, “I wouldn't be scared or embarrassed or reluctant or any word you might want to throw my way.  But evidently, you are.”

“I’m terrified of the long distance aspect, I don’t know how this will work.  So, what if we don’t go with a label, we just say we’re seeing one another?”

Chris hated the idea, it meant that there was no steadiness in the relationship and it made him wonder how real it was on her side.  He thought maybe he would offer a suggestion, to see if she might be open to something more, “What if we said we were in a relationship?  I know, you told me you aren’t good with them, but this could be the exception.  I like the sound of it versus just saying we are seeing one another.”

Sabrina wrapped her arms around his neck, kissed him softly, “I can go with saying we are in a relationship, as long as you are patient with me.  I’m certain about a lot of things, Chris, but how to maneuver through a relationship, especially one that will be, um, as unique as ours, well I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“We’ll figure it out, I promise,” he murmured as he pulled her close, she put her head on his shoulder and nuzzled into his neck, “The positive in this entire scenario is that you’re in Chicago.  So it is easy for me to get to you, flights in and out of here are easy to come by.”

“Or, I might be able to fly and see you?”

“Yeah, baby, you can come and see me.  Or, we might go off somewhere else together, how about that?”

Sabrina smiled against his neck, she had to admit this might work after all.  He was going to be too good for her, she already knew it.   The pain she was going to feel tomorrow when he left, she was not prepared for.  She squeezed him a little tighter, nuzzled in a little closer, inhaled his scent and tried to memorize every detail of him.  Between now and tomorrow morning, she needed to be able to remember everything about him.

The day turned to night, the energy between them had become sexually charged thanks to their conversation and closeness.  She was on his lap, he couldn’t help but be aroused by having her so close.  He wouldn’t apologize for being turned on by her; he loved her beauty, her grace, her power, and her vulnerability.

He stood from the couch, his arms are wrapped around her to keep her from falling from his lap. Sabrina gently put her feet down, he helped ease her to the ground as her arms slid from around his neck and down his chest, she didn’t break eye contact with him.  He reached for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers and started walking her through the darkened penthouse, towards the stairway.  The only illumination came from the city lights shining through the large picture windows.  Chris had already memorized this apartment, it felt like home, and he knew his way around, even in the dark.

He led Sabrina up the stairs, taking each step slowly, building the anticipation for what would happen when they got to the top.  As he reached the top landing, he walked her just over the threshold of the bedroom.  He closed the distance between them, sliding his arm around her waist, bending to whisper in her ear, “Don’t move, baby.  I’ll be right back for you.”

Chris turned on the bedside lamp, picked up the remote, closing the blinds and the curtains.  He then pulled back the covers on the bed.  He walked back to Sabrina, took her by the hand leading her into the bedroom, toward her side of the bed.  She stood facing him, he placed his hands on her hips just under her t-shirt slowly moving his hands up her sides.  The t-shirt began to glide up her torso along with his hands, instinctively she raised her arms as he lifted the shirt off of her completely.  As the chilled air in the bedroom hit her skin, she shuddered, he moved in and kissed a trail from her ear, down her neck, and along her right collar bone where he gently pushed her bra strap off her shoulder.  He then repeated the action on her left side, reaching around her back with one hand and deftly unhooked her bra, letting it fall forward.  He helped ease it down her arms, tossing it behind him, it landed on the t-shirt, creating a nice, neat pile.

Now that her breasts were free, he took the opportunity to pay them special attention.  Cupping one while he kissed and caressed the other; Sabrina’s head was back, her eyes closed, biting her bottom lip as she let out soft moans of pleasure.  He took special care to give equal attention to each breast; tugging on each nipple but being cautious so that he did not hurt her.  He then moved to trail soft kisses down her stomach, stopping just above the waist of her pants.  She had dressed in a pair of drawstring, knit pants when she got out of the shower.  Chris slowly untied the drawstring, slipping his hands just inside the elastic waistband on either side of her hips.  He made sure he had the band of her panties looped around his fingers as well as he slowly began to inch them down her thighs, she gave no resistance.  Instead, she widened her stance ever so slightly to ease them down, then stepping out of them completely and kicking them to the side.  Chris ran his hands back up her legs, stopping momentarily to run one finger along her slit, testing to see how wet and ready she might be for him.

He leaned into her ear, letting out a low growl, “Someone’s wet and ready to play.”  He quickly lifted her off her feet, placing her on the bed, she let out a small yelp as she was not anticipating him literally sweeping her off her feet.

Chris made quick work of shedding his clothes and then climbing onto the bed to join her.  As he started to move up the bed towards her, Sabrina sat up and began moving towards him,

“What are you doing, babe?” Chris asked, somewhat confused.

“Last night you took care of me,” she reached out and traced his jawline ever so slowly and softly, “Tonight it is my turn.  I want to memorize your body before you leave.  I want you to remember what it felt like for me to touch you and to have my mouth on you.”  She moved forward so that she could whisper in his ear, he didn’t move, it was as if he was frozen in place, “I want it to be my touch you are thinking of when you have to take care of yourself when are alone out in LA.  I want you to wish it was my hands on your dick, my lips taking you in, and you cumming in my mouth.”

As she rocked back, she noticed that Chris visibly shuddered at her words and swallowed hard.  She also saw that he was fully erect, her words had definitely turned him on.  She turned so she was sitting on her hip, her legs bent, she gently patted the mattress next to her, “Come up here and lay down, baby.”

Chris was a little shocked at Sabrina’s tone, he hadn’t really anticipated this from her.  He never expected that she would turn into the dirty girl, but he liked it, a lot!   He moved to the top of the bed as she requested, situating himself on the pillows she had set up for his comfort.  She knew he would want to watch what she was doing, all men liked to watch.  She had taken him into her mouth when they were at the hotel, he had enjoyed it immensely.  But she was acting differently tonight, he didn’t know what to expect, but he had a feeling that he would not be prepared for what she had in mind.

Sabrina sat on her knees at Chris’ feet, prodding him to open his legs, just a little; he did as she asked.  He had expected that she would position herself between his legs.  Instead, she moved and straddled him, hitching her right leg over him, situating herself just above his waist, careful not to touch his cock, which was standing at full attention, practically begging to be touched.

“What?  What are you doing?”  He asked, surprised by her movement, there was even a hint of whining.

She put a finger to his lips, “Now, now, Chris.  You have to trust me.  Do you trust me?”  He slowly nodded his head, her finger still on his lips, “Good!”  She leaned forward, removing her finger and taking his lips with hers.   She then leaned forward, removing her finger and taking his lips with hers.  After breaking the hot kiss, she left Chris wanting more; which is exactly what she wanted.

She kissed along his jawline, down his neck, and across his chest.  She came to the tattoo along his clavicle, this was such an erogenous tattoo.  She could not explain it, but all she wanted to do was trace the words with her tongue.  So, she did.  Ever so lightly, she knew it was driving him mad.  He reached up to grab her hips, she pulled his hands away, lacing her fingers with his.  She knew it would do no good trying to hold him down, he was stronger than she was.  But if she held his hands, it would at least keep him from trying to push her off of him.

“You can’t touch, babe,” she gently chided him, “If you want more of what I’m giving, you have to play nice.  Do you want more?”

He couldn’t actually form an answer, he slowly nodded his head and let out an incoherent moan.  She let out a soft chuckle and then began moving down his chest, trailing her finger through his chest hair and then providing soft kisses.  She would move her body, careful not to brush against his cock, she wanted the ache to build and wanted him to bed for her touch.    She traced around his nipple with her tongue, then gently bit down and tugged with her teeth, not hard, but enough to get a little moan out of him.  Of course, she had to take care to do the same to the other, you can't let one feel neglected, now can you?

As she came close to the Bardsley tattoo, she stopped, she knew this was his memorial for his good friend and to do anything dirty or seductive to it would be disrespectful.  Instead, she provided kisses near it and then sat back up, running her hands over his chest, “You are a beautiful man, Chris.  I totally understand why women swoon over you,” her voice was soft and melodic, with a seductive quality.

“Sabrina, please, baby, you’re torturing me,” his breathing was starting to get ragged, his eyes were pleading.

“You said you trust me, are you changing your mind?”

He shook his head, “No…but…I need you to touch me.”

She ran her nails down his chest, “But I am touching you, isn’t that what you said to me last night?”  There was an almost evil quality in her voice.

“Bitch,” he chuckled under his breath, somehow he knew his own words would come back to haunt him.

Her head snapped up, and she smiled, she heard what he said.  She also knew that he realized she had been paying attention to his words the night before.  She laughed back at him, he knew she wasn’t angry, but he also knew that she was going to make him pay.

“I’m not done with you yet, but I have to change positions,” Sabrina announced as she unlaced her fingers from his.  She braced herself and then swung her leg over, careful not to touch his body.  She pulled herself up onto her knees, looking down at him, taking in his naked form.  “I should get my camera, what better way to preserve how beautiful you look than to have a picture of it.”  She noticed the look of absolute terror on his face, “Relax handsome, I’m kidding.  I would not do that to you!”

“You really are evil,” he muttered.

“Oh, you ain’t seen nothing yet,” she replied as she moved to her position between his legs. She placed both hands on his hips, softly running them down the ‘v’ of his Adonis Belt.  Sabrina always thought this was one of the sexist attributes of a man, Chris had the perfect definition of this look.  Her touch was light, her fingers ghosting over his skin.  He was barely holding on, his breathing was shallow and ragged, he was moaning with desire.

She replaced her hands with her lips, softly kissing where she had just touched.  Chris reached for her, trying to pull her up, “I need you,” he growled, “I need to be inside of you,” she noticed his hips were starting to buck.

She gently slapped his hands away and sat up, “I said no touching.”

“Ugh, fuck,” he let out a desperate groan, “Sabrina, please!”

She stifled a laugh, “Fine, one touch, but that’s all.  I’m not done, and you’ll need to wait.”

She ran her nail up the pulsing vein on the underside of Chris’ cock, she thought he was going to explode.  He let out an exasperated, “Oh my God!  Don’t stop, please don’t stop.”

“Now, be a good boy, and there is more where that came from,” Sabrina placed her hand on his belly, a gentle touch as she went back to kissing his Adonis Belt.  Finally, she was ready to give his dick the attention it deserved.  She knew he was in agony, he had the sheet balled up in his fists.  She lifted her hand from his belly and moved to hold his hip down with one hand.  She gently blew on his cock, he let out a moan, he was ready.

With her free hand, she firmly grasped the base of his penis, enough pressure to really make him squirm but she knew he liked it.  With a long, fluid stroke of her tongue, she licked up the aforementioned vein and Chris’ body came up off the bed.  The sounds of pleasure let her know that he approved.

The assault with her tongue did not stop; she flicked her tongue at the ridge of the head of his dick.  His breathing became even more ragged.  “Don’t….stop….fuck….don’t…stop.”  He could barely get the words out.  She paid attention to the head and to the vein, but never took him into her mouth fully; she also never released her grip, in fact, she would rotate between loosening it and tightening it.

Without warning, as she was flicking her tongue on the ridge and beginning to hum softly, Chris let out a loud grunt and suddenly shot off like a rocket.  “Fuck.  Oh…God!”  From the position she was in, Sabrina didn’t get hit, but he definitely made a mess of the fancy sheets on the bed.  She didn’t stop her assault either, he kept cumming, and she kept right on licking and sucking him off.

“Oh fuck, Sabrina, you have to stop…shit…too sensitive…oh…God,”  he was squirming and panting, she could tell he was on sensory overload.

She released her grip and sat up on her knees, grinning with pleasure over her work.  The sheets were a mess, but she didn’t care.  She crawled up his body, laying over him, her arms folded on his chest, her chin resting on her arms, “So, you shot off like a rocket, is your body in orbit?  Do you feel like an astronaut now?”

“Fuck you,” he muttered, not able to look at her or even move, “My God where did you learn to do that?  Nevermind, I don’t think I want to know.”

“Don’t worry baby, I don’t kiss and tell,” she whispered as she leaned forward and kissed his chin.

“I’m sorry about the sheets, I think I made a mess,” his voice was still shaky, he breathing was finally starting to get back to normal.

“I’m not complaining, but we should probably change them before we go to sleep,” she laughed as she patted his shoulder and rolled off of his body, onto the opposite side of the mess they made.

As Sabrina got off the bed, she reached over to offer him a hand.  He sat up slowly, she could tell he was a little dizzy, “You alright there, rocket man?”

He glanced over and gave her a dirty look, “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” he smirked back at her.

“Did you maybe cum just a little hard?”  She was sarcastic and snarky, if he weren't missing a beat from sensory overload, he probably would have been able to come back with some sort of quick-witted response.  “I’m sorry, Chris.  Here let me help you.  Do you want to go take a shower while I change the sheets?”

He stood up, unassisted, got his bearings and then cupped her face with his hands and kissed her as if there would be no tomorrow.  She stumbled forward and had to brace her hands on his chest to keep from falling.  He stepped back from the kiss, satisfied as she seemed momentarily flustered, “Yeah, I’m gonna take a shower, do you want to join me?”

“Oh my, damn you and your kisses, Evans.  Fuck,” she shook her head, unsure of how the two of them got to this point, but damn happy that they had.  “No, I am pretty sure we would pass out in the shower and end up drowning.  I’ll change the sheets and take a quick shower once I’m done.”

Chris walked off towards the bathroom, Sabrina started the removing the sheets from the bed.  She had the new set of sheets put on the bed and was walking into the bathroom just as Chris was exiting the shower.  She stepped in behind him, took a quick shower and then joined him in the fresh sheets.  She snuggled up next to him, he held her close, her arm draped across his torso, his arm across her back.  They wrapped their legs together and within a few minutes, Chris’ breathing was even, and Sabrina was sure he had fallen asleep.

She ran her nails through his chest hair, he had the perfect amount for her liking.  She listened carefully to see if he said anything, wanting to make sure he was asleep; she looked up, and his eyes were closed.  Quietly she began to speak, “I’m not supposed to fall for guys like you Chris.  I’m not meant to fall for anyone, I can’t risk being broken, not again.  Please don’t break me because God help me, I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Chris had heard her breathing even out and had expected that she fell asleep, he shut his eyes and tried to drift off.  That’s when he heard her soft voice, she must have thought he was asleep, he didn’t want to let her know he was awake.  He listened to what she said, and something immediately caught his attention, “I can’t risk being broken, not again.”  What did she mean by that?  Who broke her before, and is that why she said she can’t do a relationship?

His own self-doubt also wondered what she meant when she said she wasn’t supposed to fall for guys like him.  He was back to wondering if he was just a toy for her, and this was a game.  But if it was, she was way too serious about everything else.  He was as emotionally torn as she was.  The only thing that he knew for sure, he was in the same boat she was, he was pretty sure he was falling in love with her, too.


	14. Chapter 14

Sleep had not come easy for Sabrina, following her declaration to a sleeping Chris, she closed her eyes and attempted to drift off. The problem was, she woke up every hour or so, panic stricken with the thought of him leaving. She had been able to stave off the flow of tears, but just barely. The last coherent thought she remembered, before now, was looking at the clock and seeing that it was 3:46 am. It was now 7:35 am, and she was in the bed alone, she could hear Chris in the bathroom getting ready to leave. He had pushed the door shut, trying to be quiet, it just wasn’t working.

Sabrina was lying on her stomach, the pillow bunched up under her chest, her arms under the pillow. She stared at the bathroom door, part of her wanting to go in and join him, the other part of her realizing it was best to stay away. She reached for her cell phone and turned it on. She elected to ignore the number of missed calls and text messages, instead heading to her contacts and searching for her car service. She sent a quick message, asking for a pick up at 8:15 for a male passenger from her apartment going to O’Hare. Within seconds she received a confirmation as well as a reminder that they still had her down for a pick up at 12:30 at her apartment as well.

Once the rides were confirmed, she turned her phone off again and set it back on the nightstand. When she heard the running water in the sink turn off, she sat up on the bed, pulling the sheet up to her. She looked up just as Chris was walking out of the bathroom, his bag in hand. He gave her a half-smile and walked towards her.

“Morning,” he leaned forward, giving her a kiss and letting his lips linger for a moment, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You didn’t, besides you didn’t actually think you were going to leave without saying goodbye did you?”

“No, I knew I would have to,” his forehead rested on hers, “I just wanted to let you sleep a little longer. You were a little restless last night.”

“Did I keep you up?” She asked rather sheepishly.

“No, I was already awake,” he admitted, she wasn’t the only one that was upset about his leaving. “I get to LA around 3 pm, I’ll call you and let you know I arrived home safely, okay?”

She nodded, “I’ve got a meeting with the Mayor this afternoon, then I’ll go into the office and work for a bit, catch up on what I’ve missed. Keep my mind off of missing you,” she tried to smile and put on a brave face for him, “I’ve called a car for you, they’ll be downstairs at 8:15 to take you to the airport.”

Chris stood up and glanced over at the clock, “I better start heading downstairs then.” He grabbed his bag and waited to see if Sabrina stood up from the bed, she didn’t immediately move. He took a few steps around the foot of the bed, then noticed that she slid from the bed, the sheet dropping, and she slid into the satin nightgown that hung on the end of the bed. She followed behind him as he exited the bedroom and descended the stairway.

She stayed on the last step, watching him as he walked toward the front door. Sabrina braced her hip against the railing, crossing her arms, and clamped down on her emotions. “The deadbolt is locked, but that is all you have to undo to open the door,” she announced, figuring he was trying to identify how to get out of the apartment. He acknowledged her answer but didn’t turn around to look at her.

Chris flipped the deadbolt and was preparing to open the door, but he couldn’t do it. He had to kiss her one last time, and he felt the urge to tell her that he loved her. He dropped his bag, turned and took several large steps until he was in front of her. His kiss was full of fire and heat, her hands went to his head, pulling him closer, while his hands when around her waist and did the same.

When he broke the kiss, he turned, grabbed his bag and left. He is not able to say the words that were forming on his lips. He wanted to say those three words that would let her know he was having trouble with the concept of goodbye. The three words that meant that he would struggle with sleeping alone when he was back in Los Angeles. The three words that said he would ache for her to be near, but he knew that saying them could potentially ruin everything.  
Instead, he let the door close, and he kept walking towards the elevator. He couldn’t look back, and he prayed that she didn’t open the door to watch him walk away. He stepped into the waiting elevator, pressed the button for the lobby and closed his eyes, clenched his jaw and forced away the tears that were rising in his eyes. As the doors opened in the lobby, he put on his sunglasses and walked out to the waiting car for his ride to the airport.

~ * ~  
Sabrina’s lips burned, as he walked out the door, her fingers went to her lips, she felt the passion within them. She held onto the railing to keep her weak knees from giving out underneath her. The click of the door, he was gone, he wasn’t coming back, at least not right now. She had no idea when, or if, she would see him again. She waited a few minutes, hoping he would knock on the door, say he changed his mind and wanted to stay, but he didn’t.

She finally gave up, slowly walked upstairs to her room and climbed into the middle of the bed. She reached for a pillow, his pillow, the one he had used. She clutched it to her chest, inhaling his lingering scent, that is when the tears began to fall. She couldn’t control them, the weight of him being gone, she was alone. She had been alone before, why would it suddenly bother her to be alone again?

Her sobbing became more pronounced, and she clutched his pillow as if her life depended on it. She began to rock back and forth, “Why…are…you…crying...he’s….just…a…guy…” her words came broken due to her sobs, “This..isn’t…you.”

She cried so hard, she began to hyperventilate. She had to force herself to calm down and to regulate her breathing, trying to stop her crying. This didn’t make sense to her, nothing was making sense. It took several minutes for her to calm down, for the crying to stop, and for her breathing to get back to a normal rhythm. Suddenly her thoughts went from the pain of Chris being gone to how could she let herself get to this place so quickly.

“Why are you so wrapped up with this guy? How does he have you going from a self-assured businesswoman to a blubbering school girl?” She was chastising herself over the entire situation, she didn’t have emotions like this. The problem was, as much as she was confused over her feelings, the ache in her heart was still there. “You’ve known the guy for less than a week, you can’t be in love with him, Sabrina. It’s ridiculous, get it out of your head.”

She got off the bed, gathered her things and went into the bathroom to take a shower. Thinking that it might clear her mind and bring her back to reality. Plus her head was hurting from the crying, the heat from the shower could help with that. Unfortunately, when she walked into the bathroom, her mind went back to Chris. He was the last one in the bathroom, it still smelled like his aftershave and cologne. There were still little hairs in the sink from where he had trimmed his beard. Damn, this wasn’t helping.

She quickly rinsed out the sink, this would usually irritate her, had that been any other man she would have thrown a fit. She would have yelled and screamed at him for being rude, not cleaning up after himself. Exactly how hard would it have been to turn on the water and rinse out the sink? Instead, seeing the remnants in the sink brought a smile to her lips, it was a reminder that Chris had been there. “Why aren’t you mad at him for doing the exact thing that pisses you off when other men do it? Damn it, Sabrina, why does this guy have such a hold on you?”

She turned on the shower, moving the water to as hot as she could stand. She stood under the pulsating water and tried to block out the thoughts that were running through her mind. Unfortunately, all she could think about was Chris. She replayed her initial meeting with him, their boat ride, that first kiss on the street corner, the tango, the sex in the hotel room, and the two nights in the apartment.

As her thoughts were on him, her body was aching for him. She was aching for his touch, for his lips, for him to be inside her. She kept thinking about how her body reacted to his touch, how he made her feel. No other man had ever made her feel that way. How did he do it? How did he so quickly learn what she needed?

The men she had been with in the past, she knew they were intimated by her and did what she wanted and when. But Chris, he wasn’t scared of her. He stood up to her, he gave her what she needed, not necessarily what she asked for. She never knew she wanted that in her life, now she craved it. “You aren’t that kind of woman, Sabrina,” she found herself saying in response to the thoughts in her head, “You aren’t the kind of woman who needs a man to take care of her, you’re independent, remember that!”

The water of the shower was turning cold, she quickly shut the water off and opened the shower door, grabbing the towel off the rack. She pulled her hair into her towel turban and stepped out to dry off. Her mind was still buzzing with the random thoughts of Chris and her feelings for him, what it all meant and how scared she was. She dried her hair and got dressed, trying, for the moment, to push out any thoughts of Chris and to compartmentalize her feelings.

Staring into the mirror, she didn’t recognize herself, “When did you become this woman? When did you let a man, a younger man, an actor for God’s sake, do this to you?” She gripped the counter and dropped her head, “You never wanted to be with a man this bad. Are you really willing to give up everything for him?”

The fact she was even having these thoughts were terrifying, she never considered giving up her career for anyone. Even when she was married to Kyle, her work consumed her, success drove her, and her relationship and marriage came second. Now, all she could think of was being with Chris, work was secondary, she was willing to walk away, how in the hell had this happened and so quickly? This was not the kind of woman she was, success was her motivating force. Her career was her partner in life. Chris had her considering a life outside of work, the idea of a real relationship, hell, she was even thinking of children, something that had never been a consideration before.

She looked back at her reflection, “Pull it together, Sabrina. He isn’t coming back, and you know it! He won’t call, he won’t come back to you, this was a fling, and that’s all. Remember who you are – Sabrina Burnham, a successful architect, influential business woman, independent woman.”

She closed her eyes, willing herself to remember those words, repeating them silently over and over. She opened her eyes, put on her makeup and finished getting dressed. After all, she had a meeting to prepare for with the Mayor of Chicago, she needed to have her game face on.

~ * ~  
During the drive to the airport, Chris could not help but think back on what transpired when he left the apartment. It killed him to walk out the door, but he couldn’t let Sabrina see that. He needed to be strong, leave while he could. The longer he stayed, the more confused he became over the entire relationship. One minute she is giving him the indication that he is nothing more than a toy, a plaything for her, the relationship is nothing serious and has no strings. The next, she thinks he is asleep, and she is declaring feelings, stopping just short of declaring her love for him.

He felt like a ping pong ball, being sent sailing back and forth across the table in a tournament match. No one is missing a shot, he is flying back and forth with lightning speed. The problem was, he was every bit as conflicted as she was. He was damn close to giving his own declaration of love after knowing her for a week. Hell, in all honesty, he hadn’t even known her or been with her the entire week, just bits and pieces of it. He was drawn to her self-confidence, the way she carried herself. She had to fight to get where she was, he was aware that she had never been given anything in her life, he respected her for that. She exuded power, and he had to admit, it was sexy.

When he met her, the thought had crossed his mind that she was closed off; she gave off the vibe that she was not looking for a man to fill a void in her life. He was pretty sure that most men found her intimidating, probably rolled over and did whatever she asked. He had the feeling that when Sabrina Burnham said “Jump,” they all said, “How high?”

But she had something that made him think twice. During her declaration, when she thought he was asleep, she said, “I can’t risk being broken, not again.” What did she mean by that? Who broke her and how bad was it that she felt she needed to declare that to him?

Sabrina evidently thought that being vulnerable was a weakness, she didn’t like to show that to anyone. And he was pretty sure, she hated that he saw it. But he was glad that she had opened up, but he knew she was still holding something back. He just wasn’t sure what it was or why she was so secretive.

He had been so wrapped up in analyzing his relationship and his leaving, that he didn’t realize the car had pulled up to the terminal at the airport. The door opened, he got out and thanked the driver, giving him a tip, as was customary. He grabbed his bags and made his way into the terminal. He had the pre-screening with the TSA so he was able to get through part of the line rather quickly. Once through security, he found the airline lounge and made himself comfortable, ordered a cup of coffee and turned on his cell.

He noticed the number of missed calls and texts from Audrey. Immediately his mind went back to the discussion he had with Sabrina over the motivation for her reaching out. He figured he would find out, hitting the call button to dial her number.

The phone rang, he heard the line connect, but Audrey did not say anything. He decided to go ahead and speak up, “Hey, I see you were trying to reach me yesterday, thought I would give you a call.” He was met with silence, and wondered if she had actually answered the phone after all, “Audrey, are you there?”

“Oh, I’m here, where the fuck were you yesterday when I needed you? Would it have killed you to pick up the fucking phone or to answer one damn text?”

“Whoa, calm down a minute, I was busy.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down, first of all. And second, I don’t know that I would classify fucking my best friend as being busy, Chris.”

“What is wrong Audrey, where is this anger coming from?” He was trying to keep his voice calm and steady, he didn’t want to yell or bring attention to himself, “You’re this pissed off because I didn’t answer a call or a text? Look, I’m sorry, really, I am.”

“I needed Sabrina, the calls to you were to get to her. We have a big deal that needed her eyes and her signature so it could go out this morning, all I needed was five minutes of her time.”

“You should have come by the apartment, if she had known it was for a deal, she would have had time for you.”

“Well, that’s the thing, Chris. I did come by the apartment, I was denied access. I was told Sabrina gave strict instructions for the two of you to not be interrupted, unless the building was on fire, you were to be left alone. So, you wouldn’t answer your phone, she wouldn’t answer her phone, and I couldn’t get up to the apartment.”

He let out a heavy sigh, the vitriol when she answered the phone made sense, now. There wasn’t much he could say that would help the situation, “Audrey, I’m sorry, I had no idea.”

“You never even looked at what I typed, did you? Never even looked at my messages, just saw it was from me and ignored it, right?” Her heart broke at the realization that he had no idea why she had been trying to reach out yesterday, he had blatantly ignored her, this made her pain even more intense. “Well, thanks,” and with that, she ended the call. She couldn’t take that any longer, it was bad enough knowing that she had feelings that were not reciprocated, but to realize now that her messages were ignored based on her name popping up and not the content. Well, that was too much to take.

Chris looked down at his phone, shocked that she had hung up on him. He quickly sent her a text, “I left the apartment, if you want to get Sabrina, call her now.”

He didn’t say anything further, he knew she was mad, and he wasn’t going to push it with her. She needed time to cool off, and he wasn’t going to argue in the middle of the airport.

~ * ~  
Sabrina walked through the lobby and to the waiting car, she was heading to her meeting with the Mayor to discuss the new building at the Spire site. She kept her shoulders back and her head up, not making eye contact with anyone, in particular, walking as if she owned the building, which she did. Her driver held the door open for her, and she eased into the backseat. For a brief moment, she wondered if this was the car that had taken Chris to the airport. She quickly tried to push that out of her mind, she had to stop thinking of him, it wasn’t going to do her any good.

She had turned on her phone before leaving the apartment and quickly scanned emails and text messages to make sure nothing had changed with this meeting. The only thing she saw was a confirmation, so she put the phone back in her purse. All other messages and emails could wait until she got back to the office. There was nothing that was pressing, at least nothing that she could recall, so for her, this meeting with the Mayor was her priority.

As the car pulled up in front of City Hall, she quickly thanked her driver and exited the car. She walked up the steps and into the building, prepared for her meeting and had shut down all feelings and thoughts of Chris and his visit. She had always been able to compartmentalize her feelings when it came to working; it was harder to do with Chris, but she was determined to make it happen.

The meeting with the Mayor had gone well, it was a formality in every sense of the word. The drawings and design for the Spire building had been approved by the building commission in a closed-door meeting two weeks earlier. Sabrina’s design had been breathtaking, and she had the funding already in place, unlike the previous developer. The Mayor wanted to formally review the plan and bless the project before the formal press release went out. He also wanted Sabrina to give him an idea of how quickly she could get a project team together and get the groundbreaking started.

Her best guess, six weeks to get it kicked off. She hoped that would be enough time, she knew that even if it were not, the Mayor was going to hold her to that timeline now. She thanked him for his time, exited City Hall and found her car for the return trip to the office. A quick check of her watch showed it was almost 3:30 pm, she intended to put in a late night; she had quite a bit to catch up on from being out of the office.

When the elevator doors opened on the floor of Burnham Designs, she immediately sensed that something was different. She couldn’t explain it, but there was a charge in the air. She walked towards her office, everyone kept their head down, no eye contact. That was odd, she figured it was due to the projects that were due and the deadlines. Plus it was late in the day, everyone was focused on wanting to go home.

Alice stood from her desk as Sabrina approached, “Good afternoon, ma’am. I trust you had an enjoyable time off?”

Sabrina smiled, Alice was so warm and pleasant, “Afternoon, Alice. I did have an enjoyable time off, thank you for asking. Please sit down, is there anything pressing I need to know about?”

Alice swallowed hard, she knew this was not going to be pleasant, “Ms. Clarke had been looking for you yesterday, it was quite urgent. I was able to rearrange all of your Monday meetings, your calendar has been updated accordingly. I have a new set of potential projects for review on your desk.”

“Great, thank you. I’ll get with Ms. Clarke momentarily. I’m staying late tonight, but I want you to go ahead and leave at five tonight. Please don’t stick around for me, okay?”

Alice nodded and sat down as Sabrina walked into her office and gently closed her door. Alice was all too keenly aware that the pleasant mood her boss was in would be shot to hell as soon as she saw the binder on her desk. She quickly sent an instant message to Audrey via the company messaging system, she wanted to warn her that Sabrina had just arrived in the office, and she would be on the warpath very soon.

Sabrina walked to her desk, sitting in her large leather chair and placing her purse on the floor next to her. She turned on her computer and turned her attention to the items on her desk. That is when she saw the binder, the Boston RFI binder to be exact. It suddenly hit her, the deadline for that was earlier today, she had forgotten about it completely.

She picked up the binder, flung open her office door and began marching toward Audrey’s office. She walked with intent and purpose, her heels digging into the floor as she walked. People moved out of her way when they saw her coming. She didn’t bother knocking on Audrey’s door, she just opened it and let herself in. Audrey was in the middle of a meeting, she didn’t flinch when Sabrina opened the door, she continued on as if there had been no interruption. This, of course, made Sabrina angrier, but Audrey did not care in the least.

Sabrina began to pace, sighing heavily as she did, making it known that she was furious that Audrey was continuing with her meeting. Finally, she broke in, “You will need to continue this meeting later, I need to speak with you right now!”

Audrey took a deep breath, counted to ten, then responded, “No, Sabrina, you will need to wait. This meeting is time sensitive and the binder in your hand, well that ship has sailed. You can have a seat, I’ll be with you in a minute, but I’m going to finish up with Ashley first.”

Sabrina’s eyes went wide, Audrey had never refused to meet with her like that before. And what did she mean, that ship had sailed? Sabrina sat down on the couch, but her anger was not subsiding if anything she was working up a good head of steam for when Ashley left the room.

Audrey made quick with the meeting, ushering Ashley out of the room personally and shutting the door behind her. She spun around and glared at Sabrina, “What in the hell was that? I get that this is your fucking company, but you just barge in my office with no regard for what I might be doing or meetings I might be having?”

Sabrina stood up and dropped the binder on the coffee table in front of her, “Why was this fucking binder on my desk and not on it’s way to Boston?”

“Because you were too busy fucking your boyfriend and blowing off work to review it and sign it. You made such a big deal about you needing to examine the contents of that RFI, and you wanted to sign it before it went out and then you disappear when the damn thing is due.”

“And you didn’t think to get in touch with me to get it done?”

“Oh, you will not blame me for this Sabrina. I fucking tried to get in touch with you yesterday, called Chris, texted Chris, called you, texted you – all of my attempts were blatantly ignored. I came to the apartment, was told that since the building wasn’t on fire, I wasn’t important enough to be let up. You gave strict instructions that you and Chris were not to be bothered,” Audrey was on a roll, her voice was rising, and she was sure that everyone in the office could hear her. “Alice emailed you, I emailed you, I did everything but fucking carrier pigeon to the 80th floor, so don’t blame me for your lack of response. This is all on you.”

“You didn’t think to sign my name to it and send it anyway?”

“You would bitch no matter what I did, I can’t win with you, Sabrina. Send it without you reviewing it and you’re pissed off. Don’t send it and you’re pissed off. This isn’t my fault, it’s yours, remember that, I’m not taking the fall for you not doing your job. You wanted to bid on this project so bad, maybe you should have been more concerned with it than with Chris,” Audrey started to walk back towards her desk.

“You’re the one who introduced me to Chris, you’re the one who told me he would be good for me, I should give it a chance.”

Audrey dropped her head, she didn’t turn around but responded quietly, “Yeah, that is my fault. I wish I wouldn’t have done that.” Audrey picked up a piece of paper on her desk, turning she walked back to Sabrina and handed it to her.  
“What is this? Sabrina asked as she took it from her.

“It is my letter of resignation, I’m giving you three week’s notice. I think Ashley or Gary on staff would be ideal for promoting into my position, they’ve been here for years, and it would be easier to promote internally versus going with an outside candidate.”

Sabrina said nothing, she walked to Audrey’s door, opened it and started to walk out. The staff, which had gathered when they heard the two women yelling, scattered like roaches when the light comes on. Sabrina pretended not to notice the audience and walked back to her office, slamming her door and dropping onto the couch in her office. Wondering how everything went to hell in a handbasket so quickly.

 


	15. Chapter 15

Sabrina walked into her office, slamming the door behind her, taking a seat on her couch. She was stunned, unable to move, replaying in her mind the vicious fight with Audrey. The two of them had knock down drag out fights in the past, but none of them had been in the office, or at least none of them had been when there were associates around to hear them. She also had a hard time reconciling the fact that she held, in her hands, the resignation letter of her best friend. She never expected Audrey to quit, the thought had never crossed her mind. She couldn’t even bring herself to read it. What had happened between the two of them? What led them to this point? Had this been coming and she had missed the signs?

After staring off into space for several minutes, Sabrina finally stood up, walking to her desk and placing the letter on top of the pile of papers that she needed to tend to. While she knew she would need to read it and make plans to move forward, right now she couldn’t do it. Right now, she wanted to ignore it and address anything and everything but the letter. She logged into her computer, fired up her email and began to peruse everything within her inbox. She saw the handful of emails from Audrey and Alice that referenced the Boston RFI binder and getting it signed. No need to keep those, after all, it was a little late now, she quickly deleted them and moved on. She found several emails that outlined potential new projects that needed to be reviewed, she flagged those figuring she would come back to those.

As she continued through her inbox, her heart stopped when she saw a particular email, the one with the attachment, the one from Kyle. She was afraid to open it, for one, he rarely sent emails, preferring to do most of his correspondence via text message or telephone. She hoped this was one of those hacked emails that were transmitted by mistake, the ones with a link that meant nothing, that this was scaring her for no reason. She clicked on the email when the text showed up in her preview pane, her heart sank when she saw the text.

My dearest Sabrina:

It is nice to see that you have one again dipped your toes into the dating pool, he appears to be young. I guess the cougar needed a toy this time around. Not surprising, I suppose you need to find someone to distract you from all of your hard work; it is important to take a break from time to time. I am disappointed, however, that you used poor judgment with your public display of affection. Just because you are on the 80th floor, doesn't mean that people aren’t watching! Remember, I’m always watching.

You need to be more diligent, but I will say, you looked stunning. I’m not afraid to admit the pictures did get me off, as did the video. But you know I have a thing for videos of you having sex. So, I’m thinking about this new collection, our arrangement needs renegotiating. That is unless you want these released to the general public? The Mayor might find these interesting, I hear you have that new project up for approval, maybe these can help sway the vote!

I think these photos are worth at least an extra $5k per month, starting with next month’s payment. Just to prove I’m not making idle threats, I’ve attached two photos for your review.   
From the look on your face, you were liking what you were getting.

Your husband,  
Kyle

As she read the email, Sabrina had to choke down the bile that was rising in her throat. She had not heard from him in weeks, now all of a sudden he was texting and emailing again. She had hoped he had finally decided to leave her alone, that the stalking had stopped, but now, it was ramping up all over again. She was scared to click on the photos, but she needed to see just what he had on her. More importantly, what did Kyle have that could damage Chris?

The first picture was of her standing in front of the window, completely naked. She recognized that this would have been when Chris was in the shower, and she was opening the curtains, looking out over the city. When she was first thinking, she shouldn’t be standing there. Tears began to prick her eyes, she knew this could be a severe blow to her reputation if this picture were to be released. While it didn’t depict her doing anything vile, disgusting or what some would identify as inappropriate, she was naked in a window, and that was clearly poor judgment. If she had the poor judgment to do something like that, could her judgment be trusted for anything else? Lost in the argument would be the fact that she was in a window that was 80 stories above the street or that the picture was taken by a stalker with a telescope. No, the focus would be that she was naked in a window, and the circumstances around it wouldn’t matter.

She didn’t want to open the second picture, but she had to. But as she opened it, she could no longer choke back the bile, she made a mad dash for the bathroom, barely making it in time before getting violently sick. She sat on the bathroom floor for a few minutes, making sure the urge to be sick had passed completely. She pulled herself together, rinsed her mouth, and walked back out to her desk.

The picture staring at her from her screen was one of her and Chris in the middle of a rather intimate moment at the window. Even though the photo made her sick, she studied it carefully, realizing you could not distinguish exactly who the man was. The curtain and the bar on the window were on Chris’s left, which meant they hid his Taurus tattoo on his upper arm. With the way she was standing, the way her hair fell, you could not see the clavicle tattoo or the Bardsley tattoo. The camera couldn’t see his right side at all so the Loyalty tattoo and the initials of his siblings on his ankle were not visible either.

She let out a sigh of relief, it is why he only asked for an additional $5k in payments each month. Sabrina figured Kyle sent the two best pictures as evidence of what he had, that way he would be able to prove why he deserved the amount he was asking for. So, if this was the best picture he had of Chris, and there were no distinguishing remarks, this was at least a positive sign. If he had known who it was in the picture, Kyle would be asking for more money. Not only that, he would be spouting off as to how he would be getting a big payday from Disney or Marvel.

She was horrified that he had the pictures, but she was thankful that if they were to be released, her reputation was the only one that would be ruined. She had to wonder, though, how many other pictures did Kyle have? Did Chris ever move so that his tats were visible, could he be identified? Was it possible that maybe he could be identified, and Kyle was just dumb enough to not know who Chris was? Her head was now spinning out of control, and she was going to make herself sick again. She knew if she began asking questions, it would make Kyle suspicious, that could spell trouble for her, more importantly, that could spell trouble for Chris. No, it was better to play it cool, act as if this was nothing to be concerned with.

If Sabrina knew Kyle, he would be waiting for her to respond. He would want to know he pushed her buttons, she wouldn’t let him have that satisfaction. So, it meant she had to word her email very carefully. What Kyle failed to realize, is that he just put in writing that he was blackmailing his ex-wife. Sabrina now had evidence to go to the Police regarding his stalking and blackmail, so her words back to him needed to be careful, in case she elected to go down that route. She would prefer to tell him off and give him a piece of her mind, but it would not serve her well in the long run.

Kyle,

I’ve received your email, and I’m sorry for the delay in responding. I’ve been out of the office in meetings today and just returned. You’re right, I did have a lapse in judgment, I knew there was the possibility of eyes on me, but I was obviously not thinking clearly. As you can imagine, I’d prefer those photographs stay private. So, per your request, I will increase your monthly payment from $15k to $20k beginning next month.

Regards,  
Sabrina

It made her just as sick to play nice as it did to look at the pictures. Having to act as if he was doing her a favor by making her realize she made a mistake. The problem was, she had a bad feeling when she and Chris were in the window, she knew that someone could potentially be watching, she brought this on herself. This was all her fault, and she had to take care of it, she had to protect Chris at all costs.

She pressed send, then forwarded the original email along with what she sent to Kyle over to her personal email address, then deleted the other copies from her company account. She didn’t like keeping emails from Kyle on her work computer, she didn’t like having evidence of his existence hanging around.

Sabrina sat back in her chair, her mind was racing, and she didn’t want to stare at the computer screen any longer. The image of her and Chris was burned into the monitor, or at least she felt like it was. She thought she would turn her attention to the stacks of documents on her desk, maybe work through the piles and divert her attention. The problem was, the main pile in front of her had Audrey’s resignation letter on top. Her blood pressure was already high from the situation with Kyle, she wasn’t sure she could handle dealing with Audrey right now on top of that.

The situation with Audrey had her confused as well as angry. She wondered if the letter spelled out why Audrey felt compelled to resign? She could read it and find out, but she wasn’t sure her heart could take it, at least not right now. No, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. There was no one in the world that Sabrina trusted more, or relied on more heavily. However, she had not even told Audrey what had been going on with Kyle; she was too embarrassed to admit it to anyone, even her best friend, and closest confidant. But Sabrina had noticed that her relationship with Audrey had become strained over the last few months, she couldn’t pinpoint where it started to break, but she knew the mess with the Hawaii deal didn’t help. Was that the breaking point for Audrey?

She knew to get the answer, she should just go and talk to Audrey. The two of them needed to get everything out, clear the air, see what the underlying issue really is. But she knew that emotions would be high and the last thing she wanted to do was argue, she didn’t have the intestinal fortitude to do it. She didn’t want to make it worse, she certainly didn’t want it to turn into an argument about Chris, because no matter what he said, she was positive that part of the problem had to do with him. No, it was going to be better to ignore it, at least for now. She folded the letter and put it in her purse. She would address it tomorrow, maybe after she slept and had a clear head.

Right now, her head was swimming in emotion and brimming with anger. Between Audrey, Kyle, and the Boston project, it might be best to describe her attitude as seething. Staying away from people, that was best for her right now. Oh, realistically she knew that there would be other projects, and Boston was not the end of her career. But this would have been high profile, and if there was on thing that Sabrina Burnham loved, it was high profile projects. Factor in that she had never been denied the opportunity to bid on a project, until now. She was going to channel her anger to be her motivating factor for work, use it to get through the stack of items on her desk and the remaining emails in her inbox. She would use her anger at Kyle for the pictures, her anger at Audrey for resigning, her anger at the loss of the Boston bidding, and her anger at Chris for leaving. While some of her anger was misplaced, and deep down she knew that she didn’t care, she needed to do whatever it took to regain her focus. She had let herself get distracted, and she could not let that happen again.

She started with her emails first, firing off answers, printing off project requests for review, responding to calendar invites for meetings. She was not watching the clock, had not taken her cell phone out of her purse, so she missed the call from Chris to say he had landed safely in Los Angeles.

With her inbox empty, she started in on the pile of documents stacked on her desk. She had to reach over and turn on her desk lamp, as her office was getting darker. She turned around and noticed the dark, midnight sky blanketing the skyline behind her. She pulled her phone out of her purse, saw it was 11:45, she had missed a total of three calls from Chris, as well as two text messages. She sat her phone back on her desk and continued working.

~ * ~  
The plane touched down at LAX, Chris was relieved to finally be home. Not that he was happy to leave Sabrina behind because that had been much harder than he had anticipated. He couldn’t look at her when he left, not even when he went back to kiss her, that had all been instinct. He couldn’t bear to see the pain in her eyes. He was not sure how he had gotten so wrapped up in her, but he wasn’t complaining. He just needed to figure out how this was going to work going forward.

He also needed to know what was going on with Audrey because his phone call with her was strange, to say the least. She was combative, and that was not like her at all. He understood she was angry, he shouldn’t have ignored her calls, but he apologized for that. He was going to chalk up her anger and bitterness to the fact that a major project was hingeing on those calls. She was stressed out because of it, and she snapped, he just need to give her some breathing room. He’d call her later, apologize again, see if things were okay between them. She was a good friend to him, he didn’t want to lose her over something as silly as not answering a phone call or two.

As he stepped off the plane, he began moving through the bustling airport, quickly exiting through the departure doors into the heat of the southern California afternoon sun. He spotted his brother parked along the curb, waiting for him. Due to his filming schedule and then jetting off for the wedding, he had not seen Scott in several months. He approached his brother, dropped his bags, and pulled his brother into an embrace.

“So happy to see you, Chris. Almost forgot what you looked like, man,” he teased as he slapped him on the back and pulled back from the hug. He reached over and picked up his brother’s bag, “You look exhausted, I’m taking it you didn’t get much sleep in Chicago?” Scott tossed Chris’ bag in the trunk and walked around to the driver’s side of the car.

Chris opened the passenger side door, stood there a minute, looking at his brother with a grin on his face, “Didn’t sleep the last few nights, that’s for sure.”

“What’s her name?” Scott asked as he got in the car and cranked the engine.

Chris got in and shut the door, giving his brother a confused look, “What makes you think there’s a woman involved?”

“Dude, you don’t go to Chicago for a wedding and decide to stay a few extra days unless there is a woman involved. So, I guess you hooked up with some chick at the wedding, had a great time and didn’t want to come home. Hence, I want to know her name.” Scott checked the mirrors for traffic and pulled away from the curb to start the drive to Chris’ house. When Scott realized his brother wasn’t answering, he gently prodded, “Are you going to tell me about her?”

“I don’t know, maybe. But it isn't really what you think,” Chris said as he reached into his bag, fishing out his cell phone. He scrolled through his contact list, finding Sabrina’s name and selecting it to dial. The number rang several times and went to voicemail, he decided to go ahead and leave a message, “Hey, it’s me, I thought I’d let you know I made it to LA safe and sound. I guess you’re in a meeting so I’ll try to reach out later. Miss you, bye.”

Scott noticed the change in tone in his brother’s voice. The playful tone he had when he got into the car had been replaced with a more somber tone. He was staring out the window, didn’t seem talkative at all. “Hey, is everything alright?” He asked tentatively.

“Yeah, I just hoped she would have answered the phone, that’s all. She’s probably just in a meeting, I’ll talk to her later tonight,” Chris was trying to talk himself into believing that more than making Scott believe it. “By the way, Chuck’s wedding was nice, he cleaned up well, and Lauren looked beautiful.”

“Ah, yeah, I almost forgot that is why you were in Chicago in the first place. And you survived the Trump Hotel, I see?” Scott laughed, knowing how much his brother bemoaned the idea of staying there, “Your friend Audrey lives out there, right? Did you hang out with her at all?”

“Yeah, I did get to see her while I was there,” Chris’ tone changed again, “I need to call her, we had a slight disagreement, I need to try and smooth things over with her. But I’ll do that when I’m home.” Chris rode the rest of the way home without saying anything further. Scott could tell that he shouldn’t push, when Chris started to close himself off, pushing for him to talk was one of the worst things you could do.

Fifteen minutes later, Scott pulled into the gated driveway, Chris opened his door and slowly got out of the car. Scott popped the trunk, Chris grabbed his bag, heading for the front door, his keys already in hand. As he opened the door and turned off the alarm, his brother came walking in behind him shutting the front door and flipping on the lights for the family room.

“Chris, you want me to go get some food while you unpack and relax? I don’t think you have anything in the fridge, but I can check,” Scott offered while walking into the kitchen, Chris was making his way down the hallway to the bedroom.

“Nah, not hungry right now. I’m just gonna drop this bag in the bedroom, I’ll be right out,” he dropped his bag at the foot of the bed, pulled out his cell trying Sabrina’s number one more time. Once again the call went to voicemail, this time, he didn’t leave a message. He stuffed his phone back into his pocket, walked out into the family room and plopped down on the large sofa, letting out a heavy sigh as he settled in.

Scott walked in from the kitchen, handed his brother a beer and then sat down in the accent chair directly across from him, “You tried calling her again, didn’t you? She still didn’t answer?”

Chris looked up at his brother, his eyes wide, “Huh, what makes you say that?”

“Well, let’s see, you plopped on your couch, sighed heavily, look like your fucking miserable. In other words, you seem like you did in the car when you had to leave her a message. Spill it, what’s going on?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” he replied quietly.

“Really, and why is that? Come on, I know you better than anyone, no judgments, I promise,” Scott was actually concerned for his big brother, he hadn’t seen him this worked up over a woman in some time.

“Fine, Audrey introduced me to someone, I fell for her, she’s not the typical woman I’d fall for,” he ran his fingers through his hair, a nervous habit that told Scott he was having trouble talking about this. “I really like her, but I am not sure if she feels the same. I mean, I thought she did, but there is part of me that believes I am nothing more than a boy toy for her.”

Scott could not contain himself and let out a boisterous laugh. He continued laughing until he realized that Chris wasn’t joining him, “Oh shit, you're serious? Oh fuck, Chris, I thought you were joking.”

“No, she didn’t want to be seen in public with me initially, thought it had something to do with not liking to have her picture taken. Then found out she has her picture in the paper and magazines all the time. She went to the wedding with me but was nervous about all eyes being on us. Then she locked us away in her apartment and didn’t want to leave or let anyone see us, I’m telling you, she was embarrassed to be seen with me.”

“Why would she be embarrassed to be with you? You’re a handsome guy, women clamor to go out with you, so why would she be embarrassed? That makes no sense at all. Just exactly who is this woman? Is there some big age difference or something?”

“Yeah, she’s older than I am, but that doesn’t bother me at all. As far as who she is, well, she’s the premiere female architect in Chicago, hell, I think in the country. She’s powerful Scott, that’s what I mean about her not being the typical woman I date. She’s self-assured when it comes to work, but she’s vulnerable, has this wall around her personally,” he took a long draw from the bottle of beer that Scott had given him a few minutes earlier, giving him the perfect opportunity to stop talking for a moment.

“Sounds to me like she’s a little broken and you’re trying to save her.”

“No, not trying to save her, she’s letting the wall down and letting me in. She’s amazing, Scott and we are fantastic together,” Chris leaned forward, his arms resting on his thighs as he looked at his brother, “I’m telling you I was this close to telling her I was in love with her. I’ve never fallen so hard and so fast for anyone. She’s amazing, and I think she feels the same way one minute, then the next, I’m afraid she doesn’t.”

“What happened when you left this morning?”

“She didn’t want me to leave, I kissed her goodbye and left. I told her I would call her when I got home, but now she isn’t answering, so I’m not sure what’s going on. The disagreement with Audrey, well it had to do with Sabrina and a project that might have been lost because we ignored her calls yesterday. So, I don’t know if that has something to do with it.”

“So, Audrey and this, Sabrina, they work together?” Scott asked hesitantly.

“Sabrina is Audrey’s best friend,” he took another pull from the beer bottle, “and boss.”

“Holy shit, Chris! You’re asking for trouble there, no wonder you had a disagreement with Audrey. That girl has it bad for you and now you’re banging her best friend who also happens to be her boss!”

“Whoa! What do you mean she has it bad for me? Audrey doesn’t have feelings for me, man. We’re friends, that’s it.”

“Oh my God, you are so fucking blind. You need that prescription for your contacts checked!”

Chris stood up from the couch and began to walk towards the kitchen. He slammed his bottle down, then leaned against the counter, staring into his backyard. “Look, I appreciate your armchair psychoanalysis of the situation, but you’re wrong. There is nothing between Audrey and me. I’m probably overreacting to the situation with Sabrina, and I’m projecting my fears onto her.”

Scott stood up and joined his brother in the kitchen. “Look, if you have these concerns, it isn’t nothing. You’re worried about something, I get it, I’m not trying to make light of it, I swear. But I have to ask, are you sure you aren’t just confusing great sex with something else?”

Chris shot his brother a nasty look, “No, that isn’t it. There is a connection, I swear to you I felt my heart stop when she looked at me the first time. I feel things with her that I have never felt with any other woman. I’m in love with her, it’s that simple,” he hung his head at the realization. The problem was, he had this sinking feeling he was the only one with that emotion.

  
~ * ~  
Kyle Chapman walked down the hallway toward his office, he hated being back in Austin. He felt like the walls were closing in on him and everyone judged him. When the building collapse happened, the whispers in the office started, along with the stares. Everyone was curious as to his role in the situation and what it would mean for his career. No one dared to speak to him about it, all of the talk was behind his back. For this reason, Kyle liked the freedom of working wherever he wanted, and most of the time that was in the small studio apartment in Chicago.

When he divorced Sabrina, or rather, Sabrina had divorced him, he had agreed to move out of Chicago and to start his career over in another city. Over the years, his obsession with her meant that he needed to be closer so he could keep an eye on her. The studio apartment across the river from the Aqua building provided the perfect spot. His frequent visits to the city also provided an opportunity to be available for small jobs for Vicent Saldonna in an attempt to pay off his debt. He had been lucky that during all of his trips to the city, Sabrina had never spotted him. He had texted her and emailed her, referenced her movements so she knew he was around, but he never had physically run into her.

He was pushing it, knew she could go after him for stalking, but he figured she was too scared to try. She was so careful of her reputation, she would never risk him releasing anything. She would just continue to pay him in silence and just pray that she never saw him. He loved having this power over her, he was just sorry that he couldn’t boast that Sabrina Burnham wasn’t as strong as she made everyone believe she was.

Kyle knew that he had also been quite lucky that he had been able to maintain his job after the building collapse case had been settled. It helped that he had not been found guilty in the criminal proceedings; no criminal negligence meant that there was not a valid reason to fire him for design concerns. The partners didn’t want to take a chance on losing clients or put their reputation on the line for having someone on staff that was linked to such a high profile case. Therefore, Kyle was kept in the background, working with other people who ended being the ‘face’ of the project. He was okay with this, because, in the end, it also meant he didn’t have to be tied to Austin to get his work done. Everything happens for a reason.

He put his portfolio with the latest drawings on the desk of the design engineer for review, then went back to his office to rifle through the details for his next project. Sitting on the desk was a large parchment envelope from the National Architectural Society, he figured it was the invitation to their national gala event. He hated those things, he avoided going every year. Curiosity was getting to him, he wondered where the event was going to be this year and which old establishment ass they were going to kiss.

He ripped open the envelope, unable to contain his excitement when he noticed that the event was going to be in Chicago this year, “Well, well, well, isn’t this a pleasant surprise?” He quickly scanned over the particulars of the invite seeing that the event was in two months at the Aon Grand Ballroom on Navy Pier. “This year, we are pleased to announce that we will recognize Sabrina Burnham with the Governor’s Award for Excellence. Oh, this can’t get any better,” Kyle exclaimed as he read the invitation aloud. He sat at his desk and quickly completed his RSVP so he could get it sent off. He also wrote out his check to cover the expenses and prepared the envelope, he did not want to miss out on getting this in the mail. No way he would miss the opportunity to be in the same room with Sabrina.

As he finally started to go through his email, he noticed he had a reply from the email he sent to her regarding the pictures. Sure enough, she had received it and agreed to the increase in payments beginning with the next check. This truly was a banner day for him. Right now, there was nothing that could bring him down.  
 

 


	16. Chapter 16

Sabrina heard a faint knocking; she wasn’t sure where it was coming from. She slowly lifted her head, realizing she had fallen asleep at her desk; the knock was at her office door.

“Just a second,” her voice was gravelly, barely audible, her throat was dry. She pushed back her chair and tried to smooth down her hair and clothes. She walked over to the door, unlocked it, twisted the handle to allow it to open slowly.

Her assistant, Alice, slowly entered the office, a cup of coffee in her hand, “Good morning, security let me know you had not left last evening. I thought you might need a little something to start your day,” she extended her hand with the coffee toward her boss; Sabrina took the cup, nodding in appreciation. “It’s been some time since you elected to spend the evening in the office, ma’am. What can I do to help you get ready this morning?”

Sabrina stared blankly at her while she lowered herself onto the couch, “What time is it?” She took a sip of coffee, hoping that the caffeine would start to kick in and wake up her brain.

“A little after six, I came in early when I knew you were here all night,” Alice answered as she walked toward the bathroom. She disappeared around the corner, Sabrina could hear cabinets opening and closing and the scraping of hangers. A moment later, Alice reappeared in the doorway, “I have everything ready for you. There were still clothes here, along with toiletries and makeup, so you can take a shower, and no one will be the wiser that you were here all night. Come along, now.”

Sabrina could not believe it, Alice was taking care of her, again. She had to do this after her divorce and the subsequent hours she put in to get over that debacle. She also did this when the project in Seattle was going horribly wrong, and Sabrina had to work long hours to salvage the mess. She pulled herself off of the couch, walking towards the bathroom, Alice took the coffee cup from her hand, offering to refill it for when she exited.

The bathroom door closed, once again, Sabrina was left with her thoughts as her mind began the race that it did not quite finish the night before. She undressed and stepped under the stream of hot water, letting it wash away the built up anxiety. Once her hair was washed and she felt as if she were clean enough, she stepped out, dried off, dressed and prepared herself for the workday. She put her clothes from the previous day in the laundry bag under the counter, checked herself in the mirror one last time, and stepped into her office.

As promised, Alice left a fresh cup of coffee on her desk, along with a copy of her calendar for the day and messages that needed to be returned. She took a deep breath, pulled her chair up under her desk and began working on the stacks of things she had started on the night before. But her mind would not let anything go, she pushed back from the desk, reaching for her purse, grabbing the resignation from Audrey that she had stuffed there the night before. She walked over to the couch, gently unfolded the letter and began to read.

Ms. Burnham,

It is with a heavy heart that I have come to the decision to resign from my position of General Counsel with Burnham Design Group. While I deeply respect you and the work that you do, I feel that I have maximized my potential and no longer offer anything substantive to the company, or its continued growth. It is imperative that I do not encumber your path to success. Therefore, I believe you will be better suited with new lifeblood in the role of General Counsel.

I would like to tender a three-week notice for my departure, although, with the need for discretion in this role, I do understand if you would need for me to depart earlier than that. I do have several recommendations for associates on staff that would be ideal candidates to promote. I would welcome an opportunity to discuss with you if you are inclined.

I appreciate the opportunity you provided to me over the last twenty years. The knowledge and experience have been valuable, and I am forever in your debt.

With immense gratitude,  
Audrey Clarke

When she finished reading the letter, Sabrina refolded the letter, setting it on her lap. She was doing well to keep the tears at bay. The letter was formal, sounding as if she was ending their friendship as well as their business relationship, something she had not expected. It took a few minutes for the gravity of everything to settle in, Sabrina stood from the couch, leaving the letter behind, and walked toward Audrey’s office.

She noticed that as she approached, the associates in the area scattered. They didn’t want a repeat performance from yesterday and felt it best to be as far away as possible. Sabrina didn’t barge in, she gently knocked on the closed door and waited for an invitation to enter before she opened the door.

Audrey had no idea who was knocking on the door, so she was taken aback when Sabrina entered the room. She was quiet and respectful upon entry, gently closing the door behind her, not fully entering the office space. Audrey stood, out of respect, this was definitely unusual.

“Good morning,” Audrey quietly said as she walked around the front of her desk, noticing that Sabrina made no effort to move.

“Ms. Clarke, good morning to you,” her voice was tentative and shaky, you could say nervous, at the prospect of talking to this woman who she was once so close with. “I wanted to let you know I have read your letter of resignation, I must say that I am shocked and saddened with its receipt.”

“Please, have a seat,” Audrey motioned to the chairs and couch, hoping to make this discussion less rigid and formal, “I will apologize, Sabrina, I didn’t mean to just thrust it upon you like I did. I believe I let my emotions get the better of me yesterday afternoon.”

Sabrina walked over, taking a seat in the chair farthest away from where Audrey was standing. She didn’t look over at her, but lowered herself into the chair, electing to sit up straight on the edge of the seat. “So, you were going to give me the letter, regardless? You just didn’t intend to give it to me during our rather loud disagreement?” Her voice was flat, no emotion.

Audrey sat down on the couch opposite Sabrina, her eyes were soft, she was trying to connect with Sabrina, even though her friend was avoiding eye contact and maintaining distance. “Yes, I think it is time for me to move on, Sabrina, you don’t agree?”

Sabrina slowly raised her head, meeting Audrey’s eyes, “I’m not sure why you believe that,” she commented but avoided answering Audrey’s question outright. “Where did things go wrong? I guess I just don’t understand, I don’t understand any of it.”

Audrey said nothing at first, she didn’t know exactly how to formulate her thoughts without starting another fight, “No matter how I say this, there will be hurt feelings.”

“And you don’t think a resignation letter provided any hurt feelings? I thought we were friends, so why didn’t you just talk to me?”

“We are, but it’s not so easy to come speak to you about this.”

“Oh, it’s because of Chris, isn’t it? You didn’t come speak to me because of your feelings for him,” Sabrina watched Audrey’s face for a reaction, waiting for her to deny it or at least come back with a quip of some sort. But she said nothing, made no move to deny it. Sabrina stood up, began to walk around the room, stepping behind the chair she had just been sitting in, placing her hands on the back of it and leaning forward, “Dammit Audrey, if you were in love with him, why didn’t you just tell me? Why did you push me to meet him and go out with him?”

Audrey sat silent for a moment before looking up at Sabrina and giving her the truth, “I never expected you would actually fall for him. I thought you two would be friends, I never really thought you’d sleep with him, and I never thought you’d fall in love with him.”

“You kept pushing me towards him, Audrey. For god's sake, why would you do that? So, because you pushed us together because I fell for him, you’re throwing our friendship away and quitting your job? Do you know how asinine that is?”

“Asinine? Sabrina, do you even realize your fucking history with men? Seriously, you change men more than some women change their bra.”

“And yet you introduced me to your friend and encouraged me to go out with him. I thought, for once, you might want to see me happy.”

“Who are you kidding? You lack the capacity to be happy. Face it, you never fall for any of the men you go out with, Sabrina. You never let them get close enough to you, never let them touch that fucking wall around your heart.”

Her words stung, Sabrina could not believe that Audrey was so vile and hateful. This woman who she thought had been her best friend was slicing her into shreds, “I didn’t realize you hated me so much, Audrey. You’ve felt this way for how long? But yet you say nothing, you act like everything is wonderful between us?”

Audrey was on a roll, ignoring everything that Sabrina just said, blocking it out, “You know you think you are all high and mighty. You pick up these guys who can’t wait to worship your ass, then you use them, toss them aside and treat them like shit. Yet for some reason, they come crawling back begging for more. I can’t sit back and watch you do that with Chris, I just can’t do it,” Audrey was shaking her head, she stood from the couch and began pacing the room. “It’s already bad enough to watch my friend fuck him, but to know you will end up crushing him, too. Nope, can’t look at it or be a part of it.”

“Well, look at you, making yourself out to be Saint Audrey, pretending like you are only thinking about Chris,” Sabrina sneered, she was not holding back, “You’re only hoping I would screw something up so you could swoop in and soothe his broken heart and save the day.” She shook her head and pushed herself away from the chair, “I never thought my best friend would stab me in the back over a man. Honestly, Audrey, I never figured you had this bitchy tendency in you.”

The silence between the two was heavy, weighing on both of them. Sabrina was pacing, she had more that she wanted to say, but knew if she pushed too hard, this relationship might never be salvageable. She actually believed that right now, Audrey was lashing out because she was jealous and for no other reason. The green-eyed monster makes you do and say things you will regret later.

“Yeah, well I never thought you would have stabbed me first, Sabrina?”

“How exactly did I stab you first? I don’t get it, Audrey, what am I missing?”

“You knew I liked him, but you went out with him.”

“Audrey, you met him a year ago, you made a move, he turned you down. News flash, I’m not keeping you from having a relationship with him. You’ve been friends with him for the last year, and you’ve told me you reconciled your feelings. You are the one who told me to go out with him now. So, I was supposed to say no to you setting me up with him? What the fuck?” If you didn’t want me to go out with him, you shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“I told you, I didn’t think you would do it,” Audrey went back to the couch and sat down.

Sabrina wasn’t sure what the hell was happening, this entire fight was ridiculous, “If you want to blow our friendship apart over this, fine. I think you are letting jealousy and misplaced anger guide your decision. But don’t mess up your friendship with Chris, it means too much to the both of you.”

“Oh, if you think he will remain friends with me if you and I aren’t friends, you’ve got another thing coming. Once he is enchanted by the magic that is the great Sabrina Burnham, everyone else falls by the wayside. Hell, he already ignored my messages and calls the last two days.”

“Well he was a little busy,” Sabrina huffed, she began walking toward the office door and then turned to look at Audrey, “You know he respects you, right? He thinks highly of you, says you are one of his best friends and trusts you explicitly,” she paused to make sure her words were sinking in for Audrey. “So like I told you, do what you can and hold onto that, he’s a good man to have in your corner.”

Audrey said nothing, she didn’t know how to respond to that. She watched as Sabrina walked over to the office door, her hand ready to turn the knob. “So I guess I don’t have to ask if you’re going to ask me to reconsider resigning?”

Sabrina pulled her shoulders back, took a deep breath, never turning around, “No, you don’t need to ask! But for the record, I’m still upset that you didn’t handle the Boston RFI. You could have easily sent the binder out, you’ve signed my name before, you knew I wanted to bid on that deal.”

“Yeah, well, I finally got tired of being taken for granted. You figured I would do it, you could go off and do what you want, or who you want, and little lap dog Audrey would handle it for you, just like she always does,” Audrey spit the words out like venom.

This incensed Sabrina, she turned around, put her hands on her hips and glared at her, “My God, Audrey, that’s your job! You’re paid to do those things, did you forget that? Did you let envy cloud your professional judgment?”

“No more than you let love cloud yours?”

Sabrina felt as if she had been slapped in the face. The words alone stung, but the fact that it was Audrey wielding them, made the pain worse. She hated to do this, but there was no way the two of them could continue to work in the same office for the next three weeks if there was this much animosity between them. She quietly asked, “Do you have any vacation time left?”

The question took Audrey by surprise, “Yeah, I have two weeks left, why?”

Sabrina tried to keep the tears at bay, and her voice calm, “Please clean out your office, be gone by the end of the day. You can tell everyone you are taking a vacation, but I’ll pay you for the three weeks. I’ll figure out who I’ll put in the General Counsel seat, but it will be after you’re gone.”

“You can’t do this, Sabrina. You know that one RFI isn’t going to make or break you, you're overreacting.”

“You’re right, it’s not, but the fact that you just admitted that you were doing it out of spite, well, that’s insubordination. I pay you to do a job, Audrey and whether you have a personal grudge or not, should not impact how that job is done. Your feelings are hurt because I’m dating the guy you like and you want to be petty and childish about it? Fine, but do it somewhere else. But just keep reminding yourself that I’m dating that guy because you insisted on it.”

Audrey walked back to her desk, picked up her purse and pushed the security badge into Sabrina’s chest, “The team should be able to carry on, they know the landscape. Just send my stuff to me, you know where I live.”

As Audrey left, Sabrina did what she could to hold it together. She took a couple of deep breaths then slowly turned and walked back to her office. She sent an email to the legal staff, copying Audrey’s email address for appearances, and announced that due to a family emergency, Audrey had to take vacation time immediately. She would return in a few weeks, in the meantime, all inquiries should go to Sabrina directly.

She then called down to HR, advising that it was Audrey’s last day and how she was to be paid out. She then contacted Security, telling them that the security badge for Ms. Clarke needed to be deactivated immediately, including her parking pass. As she was hanging up the phone, trying to reconcile everything that had just happened, her cellphone began to ring. She looked over at the caller ID, The King was calling, she couldn’t help but smile.

“Hi, Chris,” her voice was soft as she answered, after all, she was holding back quite a bit of emotion. She was not going to tell him what had transpired with Audrey. He was friends with her, and it wasn’t news she wanted to break.

“What’s wrong, baby? I’ve been worried about you, didn’t you get my messages?” He had a tinge of worry in his voice, but there was a touch of anger as well.

“Yeah, look, I’m sorry. I saw you called and texted, but I’ve been cleaning up a shit storm, I just didn’t have a chance to get back with you.”

He could tell that she sounded sincere, she seemed as if she was ‘off’ and he didn’t know if he should push it, “Do you want to talk about it? Is there anything I can do?”

Sabrina shook her head, realizing he couldn’t hear her brain rattle. Also knowing if she started to tell him what was going on, she would break down, something she did not want to do. “No, but thanks for offering. I need to handle this mess on my own.”

“There you go again, thinking you need to slay the dragons on your own,” he knew she was trying to keep him at arm’s length, she had her reasons. His mind went to all the wrong reasons, but that was because he was concerned about this relationship.

“I know, it’s just that you’re in California, not a lot you can do from there,” her voice trailed off.

“I can listen, sometimes that’s all you need, a shoulder to cry on, an ear to bend. I was afraid you weren’t calling me back because you didn’t want to talk to me.”

“No, that’s not it at all, Chris, I swear. When I got back to the office, things were going to hell, and I jumped in and started to take care of issues, I didn’t even take my phone out of my purse.” She began to laugh nervously, wanting to make a point to him, “I fell asleep at my desk last night, Alice had to wake me up when she came in this morning.”

“Seriously? Wow, okay so that is hardcore, please tell me you’re going home tonight?”

“Probably, things are still a mess, though. It might be a long night,” she paused, thinking about what she should say and realized she was making the call about her. “So you don’t want to hear about my problems. Tell me something good. How was your meeting?”

“The meeting went well,” he was hesitant in his answer, not sure how much she might really want to hear.

“So is this for a new role or a new directing project?”

He was surprised she was aware of his previous directing effort, he wasn’t even sure she was aware of the movies he had acted in much less the single one he directed. “Um, directing project, they wanted to see if I was interested, it would be a big studio picture. Lots of pressure but at least there would be a budget.”

“Sounds exciting, where would you film? Any chance you could be in Chicago?” She knew it was a long shot, but she had to at least ask.

“We didn’t get that far into discussions, but if I do the movie, I’ll push for Chicago locations.”

“Ha, I appreciate that. I need to go, Chris, I’ve got to get back to the mess here in the office,” she paused for a minute, deciding whether to tell him what she was thinking; figuring it was best to go for it. “Just know, I’m glad you called, I really needed to hear your voice.”

Those words were ones that he needed to hear, “I needed to hear your’s, too. I’ll talk to you later, promise me you’ll go home and get some sleep, okay?”

“I’ll try,” Sabrina disconnected the call, letting her head fall back on the couch. While it was true that she needed to hear his voice, it only made her miss him more.

~ * ~  
Kyle had his head down, working on the preliminary plans for a new building design in some small town that he cared little about. He only had two more days before he could escape Austin and head back to Chicago. Two more days where he was forced to play nice with his co-workers, endure meetings about the new project and lose track of what Sabrina might be doing.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a sharp rap on his door, his head snapped up to see a tall, slender, African-American woman standing there. She was attractive, caramel colored skin, long black hair styled into a ponytail. She was dressed in a business suit, nothing fancy, looked off the rack at Sears, he figured she was a cop.

“Are you Kyle Chapman?” She asked, a hint of a southern drawl, he was going to guess she was from Alabama or Georgia.

“Well, that’s what the door says,” he gave a clipped, sarcastic response, he put his head down and continued working.

“Oh, I see you do have a keen sense of sarcasm,” she let herself in, closing the door behind her. Pulling a chair over to block the door, sitting down and making herself comfortable, “My name is Special Agent Cherie Coleman, FBI out of the Chicago office. We are about to become the best of friends, Chapman.”

He sat back in his chair, folded his arms and looked at her very carefully, “And exactly why do you think we are going to be friends, Special Agent? Oh! And by all means, make yourself comfortable here in my office.”

She crossed her legs, smiling as she began to speak, “See, it’s like this Chapman,” her southern drawl was a little more pronounced, “I know you got away with killing those folks in that building collapse. Really was a miscarriage of justice if you ask me.”

“Let me stop you right there, I didn’t get away with anything. I was acquitted, so why are we discussing this?”

“Oh, I don’t know what gave you the idea that it was up for discussion, because it’s not. It is a fact that you got away with it, Chapman, you’re in bed with the mob and they helped you walk away with an acquittal. But you and I both know you are guilty as sin.”

“I think you have an active imagination. I’m not quite sure what you think you know, but you’ve got the wrong story when it comes to me,” he was trying to sound confident of himself so he could convince her to go away. The truth was, he was worried, she wouldn’t have come down to Texas to see him if she didn’t have evidence, he was smart enough to know that. But then again, she could be baiting a hook and hoping for a bite.

“Well, yeah, my momma always said that. But, when I was a kid, I was better at those puzzles, you know, connect the dots? And being an FBI agent, well I get to do those puzzles for a living, Chapman. And your case has a lot of damn dots. All your contractors, the ones that sold you the cut-rate materials for the building that collapsed, they are all owned by Vincent Saldonna,” she paused to see if he would make a comment or if his body language would shift, but nothing happened. “And your attorney, the one that got you acquitted, well he was paid by Saldonna because you couldn’t afford him. So those dots connect you with him. Hence, you’re in bed with him.”

“I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about,” he swallowed, trying not to make himself look too worried, “I’ve heard his name, but I had no idea he owned all of those businesses. Can’t you just go back to Chicago and leave me alone?”

“I want Saldonna, you’re going to help me get him. So, don’t dismiss me so quickly, Chapman. After all, you’re gonna want to hear what I have to say if you want to keep yourself out of prison. See, the building collapse got me thinking, and I started to piece together some of your other projects. It is amazing how many of the same puzzle pieces fit. You’ve used those contractors before, so how long before one of your other buildings comes down?”

Kyle swallowed hard, he knew what she was getting at. If Coleman were to launch a public investigation into his other buildings, pointing out the similarities between them and the one that collapsed, it would cause panic. Not only that, no one would ever trust anything from him again, even if his work were being double checked by structural engineers like it was now.

“Now you’re worried, Chapman, I see those gears working in your brain. You know if I start poking around it will end your career, even if you got nothing to worry about. But the problem is, you’ve got something to worry about. Saldonna has you in his pocket, you’re in debt to him for getting you out of your legal issues. So, you help me get him, and I help keep you out of jail, it’s that simple.”

“I’m not admitting to anything, but what you’re suggesting is blackmail,” he was going to be bold, after all, what did he have to lose at this point. “And, even if I were to admit to something and help you, if I were in bed with the mob and they knew I was helping you, they’d kill me.”

“Well, Chapman, it goes like this, I get your help and place you under confidential informant status where I don’t reveal my source, and you stay protected. Or, I find the connections with you and Saldonna and throw your name around, and if they think you’re talking, you deal with the consequences on your own.”

“You’re a bitch, Coleman, you know that?”

“Yeah, I know,” she said as she rose from the chair and moved it away from the door, “But I also know that you are an egotistical prick who had an issue with his wife being more successful,” she turned back to face him. “I do my research, I know about Ms. Burnham. I know the building that collapsed was going up while you were separated and going through your divorce, so I am sure there is a connection there. Should I talk to her about this?”

“No!” He was emphatic and quick to respond, “No, please don’t talk to her, she has nothing to do with this at all.”

“So, she’s a sensitive subject, I see. When are you coming back to Chicago, Chapman?”

“I’m not coming back, you’re here with me in Austin, so you know this is where I live.”

“You keep telling yourself that. I’ll be in contact soon to finalize our deal,” and with those words, Coleman walked out of his office and down the hallway.

Kyle noticed she had left her business card on the chair. With her comments, he figured the FBI had him under surveillance, he just never noticed. The question was, did Saldonna’s boys notice? If there were any inkling that he was being watched or even talking to the Feds, he would be a marked man. He didn’t want to help Coleman, but he also didn’t want her making his life any worse. Then again, he hated the idea that he was in debt to the mob and that he had gotten himself into this mess in the first place. If he could get out from under the thumb of Vinnie Saldonna and stay out of jail, well it would be a win-win situation. But to be honest, things never worked out the way he wanted them to, and he was worried about the backlash. The money in the secret account was enough for him to disappear, but that would mean he would walk away from Sabrina, something he wasn’t sure he was ready to do quite yet.


	17. Chapter 17

It had been nearly four weeks since Sabrina had said goodbye to Audrey and Chris. Nearly four weeks since the wheels had come off of what had seemed like an almost perfectly moving train. Sabrina had been unable to concentrate since they were gone, her workload had increased exponentially. To say she was drowning did not even scratch the surface. Her days were an endless cycle of meetings and phone calls, barely having time to think in between. She was forced to spend the evening hours catching up on all of the things she couldn’t do during regular business hours because of her schedule. This meant excessively long hours in the office, rarely going home. Which was okay with her, the apartment only served as a reminder of Chris and the happier moments with him. Of course, it also brought back the horror of what Kyle was doing to her with the photographs. Her apartment was no longer her sanctuary, so staying in the office provided that, even if it did mean she was working.

She would sleep at her desk, head down, face plastered to papers that were scattered about. Or, if she had the energy and could catch herself ahead of time, she would make it to the couch first. Either way, the options for getting shut-eye in the office were not comfortable and did not provide peaceful, restful slumber. Since she had a full-service bathroom in her office, Alice was kind enough to help make sure she had clean clothes so she could shower and change. Alice had gone to the apartment to get a supply of suites, that way clothes could be rotated through the dry cleaners and Sabrina still had things to wear. Alice even took care to bring casual wear for the weekends, because Sabrina was, of course, working through every weekend.

Her schedule wasn’t good for her diet, she was losing weight, and not in a healthy way, she was barely eating. She was primarily getting by on Red Bull, water, and the occasional salad that she would barely pick at. While Alice was in charge of her schedule, she would make sure that the meetings around lunch time would have catered food. The problem was, Sabrina wouldn’t eat it. She might make a plate for appearances, but she would take a bite or two, move it around on her plate and be done. She wasn’t fooling anyone, everyone noticed she wasn’t eating. Her eyes were starting to get dark circles, and she was taking on a thin and unhealthy look. It was noticeable, but no one dared bring it up to her.

Sabrina had underestimated the amount of time the Legal team would occupy on her calendar. While they were able to understand the landscape, as Audrey had put it, there were many things they could not address on their own. The absence of a General Counsel was a bigger deal than even Sabrina could have predicted. She was regularly reviewing documents that required approval, while the team had redlined them, based on guidelines that had been set forth, none of them had the authority to approve the final drafts. They also did not have signatory approval on anything, which meant that even the most insignificant document or change, would have to go to Sabrina. The log jam on her desk was massive. On more than one occasion, Sabrina questioned why these things were being brought to her, the response was always, “Well, Audrey handled this.”

The first few staff meetings after Audrey left, the question, was always asked, “When will she be back?” Sabrina deflected each time, saying that she did not know. The news that Audrey did not work there any longer had stayed confidential, HR and Security knew better than to gossip about that sort of thing. No one had any idea that she was not returning outside of four people. At the end of the third week, what would have been the end of her ‘vacation’ time, Sabrina broke the news to the Legal staff during their meeting.

“I am sorry to break this news to you all, but Audrey has made the decision to not return to her position here at Burnham Design Group. She has tendered her resignation, I'm respectful of her choice. Trust me, this is her choice, not mine.”

There was a collective and audible gasp in the room. Sabrina knew they were shocked, they had all anticipated that Audrey would be returning. “I will begin looking immediately to fill her role as General Counsel. I will be looking internally and externally for the right candidate. I have asked HR to pull all of your resumes for review, and I will begin setting up interviews with each of you in the coming days and weeks.”

The murmurs in the meeting were making it clear that the fact she mentioned external candidates was not setting well. As the meeting was concluding, two associates tendered their resignations effective immediately. The loyalty to Audrey was to be expected, Sabrina was frankly surprised that only two people quit. She had honestly expected the entire department to leave. This meant that the workload and stress would crank up another notch.

Her stress level was already off the chart. Between the overloaded work schedule and lack of sleep, she was also unable to talk to Chris. Honestly, this was more painful than anything, but she couldn’t let him know that. He was filming a new movie and was on location in Africa or Asia, someplace on the other side of the world that meant the time difference kept them apart. When he was awake, she was asleep, and vice versa. Even her lack of sleep still kept her from being able to have a conversation with him. She tried it one time, he spent the entire call being more worried about her than anything else. Although right now, she wouldn’t care to hear him tell her how worried he was, at least she would hear his voice.

Instead, all of their communication was being done via text message or email. Which meant that it would take hours to get a response and it was usually clipped or cut off. It was hard to have a conversation or emotional connection of any sort via text. He would send her a selfie from time to time just so she could see those beautiful blue eyes and that sexy smile. She ached for him, not just in a sexual way, she just needed to be near him and to feel safe and secure. She begged something she was not prone to do, for him to come to Chicago to see her. She told him that she needed to see him. But he told her no, the flight was too long, by the time he arrived he would have to leave again. They would literally have no time together if he did that. She said she would hop a plane and come to him. He told her no that his shooting schedule would limit their time together, it would be a wasted trip. His denial of for any attempt to see her wasn’t helping her mental state at all.

Of course, she wasn't honest with him, he had no idea how bad things were with her at the moment. She tried to put on a happy face when they did talk, her messages tried to remain remotely positive. She just told him she needed him, that was all. She had never told him about the fight with Audrey, it wasn’t her place to do so. Her façade was that everything was sunshine and roses, when in fact, the storm clouds were unrelenting.

Sabrina was reading through a contract for a time sensitive project when there was a faint knock on the door, she looked up to see Alice walking in, “Morning, Alice, please tell me it is morning.”

Alice smiled warmly, “Yes, ma’am it is morning,” she sat a fresh cup of coffee on her desk, then continued to the bathroom where she hung up the dry cleaning bag of the recently laundered business suits. “Brett Iber will be here at 9 for your meeting to review the final contract and plans for the Hawaii project. Do you want to meet with him here in your office or in the conference room?”

“Conference room, please. I’ll be ready, I’m finishing the contract review right now. Will you call the Mayor’s office and confirm the groundbreaking ceremony time for The Spire tomorrow? I can’t remember what time it’s supposed to be.”

“I already have the agenda, the Mayor’s office sent it over yesterday afternoon. You need to be at the job site at 11:30, the groundbreaking ceremony will be at 11:45 and the press conference will be at noon. The Mayor has graciously offered to take you to lunch following the festivities.”

“Oh, great! Just what I want,” the sarcasm was heavy, she hated the idea of going through this event much less going to lunch with the Mayor.

“You need to make sure you dress appropriately, it will be quite warm and humid tomorrow. Should I go to your apartment and find something for you to wear?”

“No, thanks, Alice. I’m sure that I’ve got something here already.” Sabrina hated the idea that Alice was taking care of her, it wasn’t her job to do that. She needed to call HR and give that woman a raise if it weren’t for her, Sabrina was pretty sure she’d be dead by now.

~ * ~  
As Audrey pulled out of the parking garage of the Burnham building, she was unsure what was ahead for her. She had not expected Sabrina to ask her to leave, that came out of left field. But then again, she had not expected that the two of them would have such an epic fight either. Words were spoken that could never be taken back, a friendship of twenty years had just been torn apart. She had written that resignation letter in a fit of anger, the heat of the moment, wanted to use it as a leverage tool to make Sabrina understand the precipice for which they were heading.

Instead, it backfired, the resignation was accepted, the fight ensued, harsh words were exchanged. Sabrina was right, she hated to admit that, most of her actions were fueled by jealousy. She could not explain it, she had pushed Sabrina and Chris together, had wanted to see both of them happy. But when she saw them in the hotel room, knew what that meant, something snapped. The jealousy and envy over what Sabrina was able to have with Chris that she didn’t, it hurt and the pain were too much to bear. Sabrina always got what she wanted, the woman worked hard and always got what she was after. It was, in a way, infuriating to Audrey, because she worked hard but the spoils went to Sabrina. She had never been jealous of Sabrina’s marriage to Kyle, that is the one time she tried to warn her friend. Audrey hated Kyle from the beginning, always thought he seemed smarmy and underhanded. But Sabrina would hear none of it, she was in love and thought he was wonderful. Audrey bit her tongue, supported her friend and helped her pick up the pieces when the marriage ended.

There had been several times where Audrey had been tempted to pick up the phone to call Sabrina. Make an attempt to smooth things over, repair the damage. But each time, she decided against it, thinking it would seem desperate or look like she was begging to get her job back. She even wondered if Sabrina might make a move, try to call her or even personally deliver the items from her office. Then they could try to mend fences and move forward. But those hopes were dashed when one of the security guards from the office showed up with her things. He didn’t say anything, just brought the box in, tipped his hat and left.

Audrey had enough friends in the Legal community that she began networking to see if anyone was looking for a corporate attorney. With her experience, who she had worked for, she was actually well sought after. Within a few days, she had several offers to pick from. One of her friends, Gunnar Rivers, had a boutique law firm down the street from the Burnham building. He had an opening and was willing to make Audrey a named partner, he knew she would bring in business. The respect she was being shown from the start was enough to turn her head. She had accepted and begun working there within two weeks after leaving Sabrina’s office. Gunnar had been respectful of the situation with Sabrina and agreed not to make an announcement of her hiring until after her resignation was announced at the Burnham office.

She had settled into her new office, made a few friends, but hadn’t completely opened up about her friendship with Sabrina or her reasons for leaving the Burnham Design Group. She also didn’t share with anyone that she was friends with Chris Evans. Although, she had not really talked to him lately. He was off making a movie, his schedule was full, so text messages here, and there were about all they exchanged at the moment. She elected not to tell him about her fight with Sabrina. Since he didn’t bring it up, she guessed that Sabrina had not shared that information either.

She had walked into the office kitchen for a cup of coffee when she overheard two people talking about The Spire groundbreaking. It was going to be on TV with a press conference, a big deal since the pit would finally have a new building going into the spot. When they saw Audrey come in, they stopped talking, as if it was inappropriate to talk about her former employer in front of her. Audrey looked over, seeing the information splashed across the headline of the newspaper. This would be a big day for Sabrina, the building that she was going to put up at the pit would be a showstopper. Most likely it would become the building she will be most famous for.

~ * ~  
Audrey decided that despite everything, she wanted to watch the groundbreaking and press conference. She worked hard on this project with Sabrina, ironing out the contract with the city attorney and city planners to ensure that the final build would adhere to their strict standards. The Mayor loved the design, he wanted Sabrina’s building to go up, he would pull any and all strings to make it happen.

Gunnar walked into Audrey’s office as she was turning on the TV, “Can’t keep away can you?”  
“I’m too invested in that project, Gunnar, I hate to admit that I’m excited to see it go up.”

“I know you’ve kept quiet about what happened over there, but I know you two have been friends for years. You don’t even mention her, so I’m going to guess you had a falling out?” Audrey didn’t answer him, but he could see in her eyes that he had hit the nail on the head, “You should give her a call, it’s been what, four weeks? Maybe you two can fix it.”

The TV station started with the coverage of the groundbreaking, “My God, she looks awful,” Audrey said without thinking, “She looks like she hasn’t slept in days and she’s lost weight she couldn’t afford to lose.”

“Her makeup isn’t hiding the dark circles under her eyes, either,” Gunnar added, not really intending to pile on, but Audrey just stared at him. “Face it, Audrey, she looks like she can barely lift that shovel.”

The two of them watched as the parade of dignitaries walked up onto the stage for the Mayor to begin the press conference. He stood at the podium, Sabrina was slightly behind him, on his left, at the rear of the stage. What happened next seemed like it was in slow motion. As the Mayor began speaking, Sabrina began to sway ever so slightly, then her head tilted back, she collapsed, falling off the stage entirely.

The cameras which had been focused on the Mayor began to pan around looking for Sabrina. Immediately, Paramedics were on scene, and the Police were creating a barricade around her to keep the media away. Audrey watched in horror from her office, unable to comprehend what she had just witnessed.

Gunnar reached over, turned the TV off, grabbed her purse and pulled her out the door, “Come on, I’ll take you to the hospital, and you can meet her there.”

~ * ~  
Sabrina had been wheeled into the emergency room less than ten minutes after her collapse. She had a significant bump on her head, connecting with a sizable rock on her fall from the stage. She had been lucky, though, she had not rolled into the pit, that would have been one hell of a fall. The doctors and nurses were running every test they could think of and were taking no chances. Audrey was pacing the waiting room with the Mayor and members of the City Planning board who had been on the stage when Sabrina had fallen. They were all waiting for some sort of news, although with medical laws being what they are, it was clear they wouldn’t get much.

They had been waiting about two hours when Audrey’s phone rang, she instinctively answered it as she walked toward a quiet area, “Hello.”

“You don’t call me? I find out on a fucking Google alert that she’s collapsed? Is she okay?”

“I don’t know, I’m waiting for the doctor to come out and say something. Get on a plane and get here.”

“Wait, what do mean you don’t know? Weren’t you there?”

“No, I don’t work for her anymore, I haven’t for a month. I’m telling you, get here, Chris, she’s going to need you. I saw her on TV, and she looks awful. Have you seen or talked to her?”

“Text messages, that’s it. What the fuck do you mean you haven’t worked for her in a month? Jesus Christ, Audrey, what is going on?”

“Chris, she looks awful, I don’t think she’s been eating or sleeping, she looks like death warmed over to put it politely.”

“Fuck, I’m on my way.”

Audrey hung up the call, walking back and taking a seat next to Gunnar. “Who was that?” He asked.

“Her boyfriend, wanting to know why I didn’t call him to tell him about her collapse.”

“And, why didn’t you?”

She shrugged, “I didn’t think about it, I was just more worried about her,” she put her head on Gunnar’s shoulder. Thankful that he was there with her, and praying that Sabrina was going to be okay. She also hoped she could handle seeing Chris when he arrived at the hospital.

~ * ~  
Sabrina began to slowly open her eyes, she was groggy, had no idea where she was or what the incessant beeping was. There was a low light in the room, making it hard for her to focus or distinguish where she was. The only thing that was for certain was that her head hurt, a pounding that wouldn’t stop. She tried to move, realizing she had wires and IVs in her arms, she was evidently in a hospital. Panic was setting in, what happened? Her heart rate began to go up, and the machine next to her started to beep faster. Suddenly, she could tell there was someone by her side, but she couldn’t make out who it was. Then she heard the voice.

“Sabrina, it’s okay, you’re in the hospital. You’ll be fine, just relax,” Audrey’s voice was calm, and she spoke softly.

“Audrey?”

“Yeah, it’s me, I’m here.”

“What happened?”

“You passed out and fell off the stage at the groundbreaking for your new building,” Sabrina’s eyes went wide as Audrey spoke the words, “No, stay calm, it’s okay. Everyone, including the Mayor, has been worried.”

“Why are you here?” Her question was asked quietly and not intended to be rude.

“I was watching it on TV, I saw it happen, I was worried so I came to make sure you were okay. I didn’t want you to wake up alone,” that was the reality of it, Audrey knew that Sabrina would have no one there with her and that broke her heart. Gunnar was in the room, but he was keeping quiet in the shadows, he didn’t want to frighten Sabrina. Besides, he was there for Audrey if she needed the support. “Close your eyes, get some rest, you need it.”

Sabrina faintly nodded, closed her eyes and drifted back asleep. Audrey moved back to take her seat next to Gunnar, let out the breath she was holding and tried to relax. “She didn’t throw you out, Audrey, that’s a good sign,” he said as he patted her thigh, giving her a smile to show his support.

“I think it’s because she’s still heavily medicated.”

“When does her boyfriend get in?” As Gunnar asked the question, he noticed she bristled. Obviously, this was a touchy subject.

“He texted me and said his plane would be landing,” she checked her watch, “In about an hour. He will come barrelling in like a hurricane, I’m sure.” She put her head down, thinking of how she was going to face him. She was fairly sure that Sabrina had never told him what had happened between the two of them. But if they were in the same room, would it be so easy to stay quiet?

“Do you want me to leave? Give you all some time together to work out the issues you have?”

Audrey couldn’t look up, she began fidgeting with her hands in her lap. “Would it be too much to ask you to stay? I might need a friendly face.”

Gunnar put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him, “No worries, I’ve got your back on this.”  
Audrey had come to appreciate Gunnar’s friendship. There was nothing romantic or sexual in their relationship, they were friends only. They had known each other for years, used to hang out quite a bit, but had grown apart as their careers had taken off. Gunnar had actually relocated, for a time, to Denver, but had been back in Chicago for a few years and started his own firm. They had a deep and abiding respect for one another, it would serve them well, they figured, as they worked together.

Time passed, no words were spoken, each of them watching Sabrina sleep. Neither of them watched the clock, but Audrey guessed the time when the door opened, and Chris walked in. He said nothing, just immediately went to Sabrina’s bedside, taking her hand and kissing her forehead. She didn’t wake up, but Audrey did notice that her heart rate slowed, as if she was suddenly calm and at ease.

Chris stood still for a moment, watching Sabrina sleep, not wanting to let go of her hand. Audrey watched him carefully, her heart ached as she saw the pain and worry etched on his face. There was no doubt, he was in love with her, Audrey just wondered if he had told her yet. She took a deep breath, trying to collect herself, then stood up, walking toward Chris. She placed her hand on his shoulder and whispered, “We should step outside and talk for a minute.”

He looked over his shoulder at her and nodded, releasing Sabrina’s hand. Leaning over he gave her one more kiss on her forehead, “I’ll be right back, baby, I promise.”

Audrey led Chris out of the room and into a private waiting room, she closed the door behind him. “The doctor said she is dehydrated, under-nourished, sleep deprived and has a concussion from the fall,” she watched his reaction as the words began to sink in. “Evidently, after talking to Alice, she’s been living in the office for the last four weeks. She’s not eating, or barely eats and is surviving on Red Bull and water only, which has resulted in her losing a little more than twenty pounds.”

“Shit, Audrey, what happened? I talked to her the day after I left, she said there was a shit storm she was cleaning up, but she never elaborated. What are the two of you not telling me?”

“When she was with you, we missed a deadline in the office for a project she was interested in,” she started to tell him the story, but he interrupted.

“The one you kept calling and texting about for her to review? The one we got into the argument about when I was at the airport?”

“Yeah, that one. See, when she didn’t review it, I could have just signed her name to it and sent it on, but I didn’t. I was angry, and I elected to not send it off. So, she lost the opportunity to bid on a project that she really wanted, she was furious, and we had a rather large fight. I had been so mad from the day before that I had written a resignation letter and I gave it to her,” she turned away from Chris, she felt as if his eyes were staring into her soul and she couldn’t take it.

“So you quit and walked out over a binder and a bid process? Audrey this seems foolish,” he was trying to understand, he was just having a hard time grasping this.

“No, she came back to my office the next day to discuss my resignation, and we got into a bigger fight. The argument was personal, full of venom and hateful remarks, things you can’t really take back. She told me to get my stuff and go, so I did,” Audrey still had her back to Chris, unable to turn around and face him, “Haven’t seen her or talked to her until this happened. I was worried about her, I saw her on TV, Chris, and she looked awful.”

“What in the hell lead to you resigning in the first place? And what was this fight about that had her kick you out of the office early?”

“It doesn’t matter. What is important is this, she’s under a lot of stress at work, she hasn’t been able to talk to you, she hasn’t been getting any sleep, she hasn’t been eating. She’s in a downward spiral, she’s killing herself and doesn’t even realize it.”

“This is all my fault, if I had just been able to talk to her, find out what was going on, maybe I could have helped. The time difference is killing us, hell it damn near killed her,” he ran his fingers through his hair.

Audrey turned back around, it was then that she took a good look at him, noticed how he looked. He was disheveled, tired, his shirt was partially tucked in, his hair a mess. She knew she was staring, she couldn’t help it, he finally called her on it. “What, Audrey? Why are you staring at me?”

“Have you slept at all since you got the Google alert about her collapse?”

“Why are you asking me that? It doesn’t matter, does it?”

“Well, let me put it this way. You’re not thinking rationally, first of all, if you are blaming yourself for Sabrina’s episode. Get real, Chris, she overworked herself which is something she is prone to do when she is having a hard time dealing with stress. I’m just as much to blame for her stress as you are, so don’t go trying to be the martyr because you’re off making a movie.” Audrey figured she should own up to some of the blame on this, after all, the majority of the stress was work related, and she knew she played a significant role in that. “But, second of all, you look like shit. You can’t expect to take care of her if you are on the verge of passing out yourself.”

“I slept on the plane, it’s the only sleep I’ve been able to get. I can’t help it, I’m worried about her.”

“Have you told her?”

“I just got here, and she’s been asleep, so I haven’t been able to tell her how worried I’ve been,” he thought her comment was odd since she had been in the room the entire time.

“That’s not what I mean, Chris. Have you told her that you love her?” He thrust his hands into his jeans pockets, turned from Audrey and walked away. She took that as a ‘no,’ he hadn’t told her yet. “What are you afraid of?”

“What was your fight about, Audrey? What has ended the relationship between you and Sabrina?”

“It doesn’t matter, Chris.”

“Oh, I think it does, I believe it plays a vital role in why she’s in the hospital right now. So, if you want me to be honest about what my feelings are, maybe you need to be honest about yours?”

While the two of them were arguing, they didn’t notice that Gunnar had entered the waiting room from the back entrance. He was quiet, not wanting to interrupt their disagreement but wanted to let them know that Sabrina was awake and asking for them both. Instead, he elected to stay in the shadows and try to understand what was going on between these two.

“I don’t want to get into this Chris, I’m not ready for the consequences.”

“Consequences? What are you talking about?”

Audrey took a deep breath, she knew this was the end, it was going to be painful. “Our argument was about you, Chris. The fact that I told her I have regrets over pushing the two of you together,” the tears were beginning to well in her eyes and she needed to keep them at bay for as long as possible. “I told her that I know how she treats men and I can’t watch her do that to you.”

Chris stared at her with wide eyes, not sure if he completely understood what she was saying to him. “Can you spell it out for me, Audrey? I don’t think I’m following you.”

“The fact that she has a history of never falling for men. Using them for her pleasure, kicking them to the curb when she’s done, never committing to a relationship.”

“Wow! I’m at a loss, Audrey, really, I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say here.” This wasn’t helping his fears of being her boy toy at all, if this is what the fight was about, maybe his feelings were spot on all along.

“She told me I was off base, I just didn’t want to see her happy,” Audrey turned her face away, she didn’t want to look at him when she said the next words, “She said I was just jealous.”

Chris looked at her carefully, trying to gauge her emotions. The fact that she wouldn’t look at him spoke volumes, “Jealous? What are you talking about?”

“Jealous of Sabrina, for being with you,” Audrey exhaled loudly and looked directly at him, “I’ve had feelings for you all along, Chris.”

He sat down, putting his head in his hands, “Damnit, Audrey! This spiraled out of control because you’re jealous? Please tell me that is not what you are saying?”

“I’ve kept my feelings for you secret. I thought I was all right with you not feeling the same way. But when I saw the two of you getting closer and closer to one another, I guess something snapped. Look, I know how she is, and I didn’t want her to hurt you, and I told her that and the argument escalated.”

He stood back up, the fire in his eyes was more anger, she knew it was directed at her. “Audrey, you’ve been one of my best friends and closest confidants. I’ve trusted you with things that I’ve rarely trusted people with. In return, I always expected the truth from you. How could you keep something like this quiet?”

“You don’t feel the same way about me, remember? In Vegas, no chemistry? I felt it, but you didn’t.”

“You should have been honest with me, damn it,” he put his hands on hips and began to shake his head back and forth, “I’m at a loss, I really can’t believe you never talked to me about this. All the conversations we had before Sabrina ever came into the picture, and you couldn’t bring this up?”

“It’s not easy to admit something like this to you. Not easy to say I’m in love with you when I know you have no feelings for me, whatsoever.”

“See, that’s where you’re wrong. You have no idea how much I respect you and love you. Grant it, my love for you is not the romantic or sexual love you want, but it is love all the same. You just weren’t paying attention to it. A lie by omission is still a lie. It’s not something I expected from you.”

The tears began to fall gently down her cheeks, “I’m sorry, I don’t want our friendship to end this way.”

Chris turned away from her, walking towards the door to the waiting room, “It means a lot to me that you ran to her side, even though the two of you were fighting. I’m sure it will mean a lot to her as well,” he took a deep breath before continuing, “I’m gonna take her away for a vacation, force her to relax with no phone or work connections for a week. In case you want to try to talk to her and repair your relationship.”

Audrey was sobbing heavily, “What about us?”

He turned around slowly, he hated to see her cry, but making a move toward her would give her the wrong signal. He sighed heavily, “I can’t answer that right now, Audrey. I wish I could, but I’m just as hurt and angry as you are. I need to process this. I think we need to talk about it when we both have clear heads and some of the emotion is gone.” He turned back around, opened the door and walked out.

 


	18. Chapter 18

Chris had not expected the conversation with Audrey to go in that direction. But thinking back, Sabrina and Scott had both said she had feelings for him and he had laughed it off. He had honestly thought that they had worked past that when they were in Vegas. They had kissed, no spark, it ended right then. They elected to be friends, and that relationship flourished. He had never sensed any weirdness with her, but then again, he was never looking for it either.

He took a deep breath, trying to shake off everything that just happened, and pushed open the door to Sabrina’s hospital room. He noticed that Gunnar had left his post at the end of Sabrina’s bed, but before he could look around to see if he had moved, he heard a faint voice calling out to him.  
“I see he found you,” Chris realized Sabrina was awake and speaking to him. He moved as fast as he could to be at her side, “I asked him to go find you and Audrey, I wanted to talk to you both.”

Chris put his hands on either side of her face and stared into her eyes, “You scared the hell out of me, Sabrina. Are you okay?” But before she could answer he was gently kissing her lips, then placing a soft kiss on her forehead. He sat on the edge of her bed, bracing himself across her body, “Please tell me you’re okay.”

She nodded slowly, “I’m okay, I’m just tired. I just need to get out of here and go back to work,” she searched his eyes, seeing the worry, and what appeared to be fear. “You shouldn’t be here, you should be filming your movie in Asia or Africa, wherever it is that you were.” Her words were a little slurred, it had to do with the massive doses of medication that she was on.

“Well, I was in Asia, I flew here when I found out about your stage dive,” he cracked a smile to keep the mood light. He wasn’t about to start a fight with her, “I made special arrangements to be here, so don’t worry about it.”

“Where’s Audrey? I want to talk to her.”

“Um, she was in the waiting room when I came back in here. Do you want me to go see if she’s still there?” Sabrina slowly nodded her head, “Ok, I’ll be right back, don’t move.”

Chris stood from the bed, walking toward the door he tried to keep his nerves calm. He really didn’t want to face Audrey so soon, but for Sabrina, he would do anything. As he approached the waiting room, he noticed that Audrey was seated on the couch, Gunnar by her side with his arm around her. His thoughts immediately went there, ‘when did the two of them get so cozy?’ Of course, that was immediately followed by ‘who the hell is this guy, anyway?’ Questions he knew he had no right to ask, but he couldn’t help himself.

He walked into the room, gently knocking on the door as he entered, “Audrey, I’m sorry to interrupt, but Sabrina wants to see you.”

Audrey immediately sat up, as if she’d been caught in a compromising position by her boyfriend or her parents. “Um, she wants to see me?”

“Yeah, she’s awake and asking for you,” he responded without emotion in his voice.

Audrey stood up, looking back at Gunnar who nodded in support. She pushed past Chris and walked out of the waiting room toward Sabrina’s room. Her friend looked frail and tiny in the bed, Audrey had not really noticed it before, but for some reason, it struck her when she entered the room. Sabrina turned her head and watched as Audrey approached.

“I see Chris found you,” Sabrina’s voice was barely audible.

Audrey gave her a brief smile, “Yeah, he did. I hear you wanted to see me?”

Sabrina tried to set up in bed, she was struggling, and Audrey stepped forward to help her. “I wanted to tell you thank you. Not just for helping me sit up just now, but for being here when I woke up. The nurse told me you were here the minute they brought me in.” Audrey dropped her head, taking a keen interest in the floor and the speckles in the tiles. She didn’t say anything, her emotions were running high, and she wasn’t sure she could speak. “It means a lot, that after everything, you were here for me. I just wanted you to know that I appreciated it, Audrey.”

Audrey finally looked up, she noticed that Sabrina’s eyes were damp. “I’m worried about you, Sabrina. I talked to Alice, she told me about what’s been going on. You’re gonna kill yourself if you aren’t careful.”

“Please don’t lecture me because I don’t want to fight with you. I only wanted to tell you that I appreciated your kindness,” Sabrina’s eyes conveyed that she was trying to extend an olive branch. She wanted to find a way to build a bridge of peace so that they could potentially rebuild their friendship. But maybe Audrey didn’t want that after all.

“No fighting, I promise. I just want you to get better, that’s all.”

“I’m going to take care of that,” Chris’ voice boomed from the doorway as he walked in on their conversation, “I’m going to take Sabrina on a vacation so she can recover and get healthy.”

Sabrina began shaking her head in protest, “No vacation, I need to go back to work. I have a business to run, there’s no one to take over in my absence. I can’t afford to be gone any longer than what I’ve already been out.”

Chris moved to Sabrina’s bedside, opposite from where Audrey was standing. “You’re telling me that you don’t have a VP to run the ship while you are out?”

“I did, but she doesn’t work there any longer,” the disappointment was evident in Sabrina’s voice.

“Well, I’m sure you have someone else who can helm the ship. If no one can run the business for you, then everyone gets a vacation while you’re out,” Chris was not letting her off the hook so easily.

“You know, Sabrina, he’s right. You do need to take some time off. I realize you don’t want to hear me say it, but you’ve lost weight, and you’re exhausted,” the concern was heavy in her eyes and in her voice. “Getting away from everything would be good for you. The office can survive without you, just trust that everyone can handle it for you.”

There was an awkward silence for a few moments, no one was quite sure what to say. Gunnar quietly entered the room but stayed close to the door. He didn’t want to intrude on the conversation, but he wanted to offer support for Audrey in case she needed it. She glanced over her shoulder at him, giving him a slight smile to acknowledge that he was there.

“I’m going to go home,” Audrey gently touched Sabrina’s hand, “I’m glad to see that you are doing better. I hope you are able to get out of here very soon. Take care of yourself.” She turned away from the bed and began walking toward Gunnar.

~ * ~  
Chris had slept, although not peacefully, on the couch in the hospital room. Sabrina had tried to get him to go to the apartment, but he refused. She could tell he needed sleep, finally making the same observations that Audrey had regarding his disheveled appearance and the dark circles under his eyes. He confided like he had to Audrey, that he had been unable to rest since he heard about her collapse. So, the vacation would do them both wonders.

The nurse had come in for early rounds, taking Sabrina’s vitals, indicating that she would most likely be released later that morning. As the nurse was finishing up, the doctor stepped in to examine Sabrina for the final time. Chris took this as his cue to exit the room. Stepping into the waiting room he made a few phone calls to finalize the arrangements for the impromptu vacation with Sabrina. He had already lined up the location, he was able to do that while he was flying back from Asia. He had also asked his buddy, Josh, to work on securing a private flight out of Chicago. He just needed to call him with an idea of when they might be ready to go, the plane had been on stand-by.

He had decided on the private plane because he didn’t want to worry about security lines, dealing with the public, or potential delays with commercial flights. It would be so much easier to fly a chartered flight, they could have privacy which was the most important thing. Not only that, their schedule could be more fluid, they weren’t bound by the commercial schedules. Which could be a problem when it came to wanting to wait until the last possible moment to leave.

He needed to call and ask Alice for a favor. He knew it would be asking a lot, but if she were willing to pack for Sabrina, they could leave the hospital and go straight to the airport. If he had to take her back to her apartment to spend the night before they flew out, there was a chance she could fight him to stay. And on her own turf, in her own house, it might be harder for him to win.

Alice was eager to help. She had been just as worried about her boss these last few weeks and was greatly for her taking some time to get better. She conveyed to Chris just how horrible the stress level had been lately and how she had been tempted to call him several times to have him intervene. When he asked why she had not done it, she admitted that him being in Asia was an obstacle, she was afraid he couldn’t do much from such a long distance. A decision she was now regretting.  
Chris wouldn’t tell Alice where he was taking Sabrina. Only that she would need a bathing suit for the hot tub, a sweater for the chilly evening air, and casual clothes. He told her they wouldn’t be going anywhere or doing anything fancy. But he might take her to one nice dinner, but nothing formal. Alice agreed and told Chris she would meet him at the airport with Sabrina’s bags when he was ready.

His original plan had been to jet off to a tropical location, where there could be no internet connection and Sabrina could be off the grid. But to do that, the flight would be long. He had such a long trip over from Asia that he didn’t want to endure a long flight to Fiji or Bora Bora. There were places where he could take her to get her off the grid without leaving the US, the flights would be shorter, and they could virtually disappear. He didn’t want to do a tourist destination for the beach, and while there were some exclusive resorts he could take her to, he wanted to go somewhere he felt safe.

Every year, he rang in the new year in Vermont with his friends. His best friend, Tara, owned a home there and she hosted a big party. Their iconic photo in front of the fireplace usually made it’s rounds on social media, someone would steal it from their Instagram account, the next thing you know it is on Tumblr and Twitter! He called Tara, asking if he could borrow the house for a week. He was pretty sure that she wasn’t using it right now, and as expected, she was willing to let him use it. Of course, she wanted to play twenty questions, and he promised that he would subject himself to it once this little emergency was over.

Tara had agreed to get the place ready for him, he agreed to owe her big time. This was someplace that Chris felt safe, which meant that he could make Sabrina felt safe. That was going to be what this getaway was all about. Making her feel safe enough to relax, recharge and revive herself.

Chris had everything in place, the only variable he had to worry about right now was when the doctor would release Sabrina. He put his cell phone back in his pocket and started back towards Sabrina’s room. When he entered her room, he noticed a large bouquet of pink and white peonies on the table across her legs on the bed. He was struck by that, it isn’t often you see a bouquet of peonies delivered, or at least not that he had ever seen. When he looked over at Sabrina, he realized she was visibly shaken.

“Sabrina? What’s wrong, baby?” He rushed over to her side, taking a seat on the bed and taking hold of her hand, “Talk to me, tell me what’s wrong.”

Her voice was shaky and quiet, “Can you move those flowers, please? Somewhere I can’t see them.”

He turned around to look at the bouquet, “Yeah, whatever you want. Why are they upsetting you so much?”

“I don’t want to talk about it, I just don’t want to see them,” she was starting to cry and was on the verge of hysterics. She knew that when Chris went to move them, he would look for a card, but there wouldn’t be one. Kyle didn’t need to put a card on them, he was the only person who ever sent her peonies. This was Kyle’s way of letting her know he was still watching her, that he knew what happened. She couldn’t tell Chris that no matter what he tried to do to help her relax, he couldn’t fix her biggest problem. She was sure if she came clean about Kyle, her relationship, or whatever she had with Chris, would come to an end.

Chris moved from the bed, picked up the vase of flowers and left the hospital room. He returned a few minutes later, taking his place on the bed, “Taken care of, the flowers are now brightening up the room of a woman down the hall who had no flowers in her room at all.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, “That was very sweet of you.”

He leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on her lips, “Anything for you, baby. Now, did the doctor say when you can get out of here?”

“Yeah, they’re processing my paperwork now. Someone is going to come and help me with a bath, then we can leave.”

“Fantastic, I need to text a few people to give them the timeline,” he quickly checked his watch, figured hospital time doesn’t necessarily work with regular time. He texted Alice and Josh, telling them they should be ready for the flight to leave in about three hours, figuring that should be plenty of time.

“Chris, I can’t go on vacation, as much as I want to, you know it’s not possible.”

“Shh, Alice has it covered. I’ve talked to her, and it’s all worked out. So, yes, you’re taking a vacation. You’re running away with me, that’s the end of the discussion,” he watched as she tried to process his tone and firmness with her. “You need to get used to this you know.”

“What?” She asked, somewhat confused.

“To letting someone take care of you. To you not having to be the strong one all the time, it’s okay to let your guard down, let someone else carry the load for a while.”

Sabrina didn’t respond, but she was surprised that he was able to read her so easily. He was no like any other man she had ever been with, that is what was so damn scary. He was what she wanted in a partner, but it scared her to even think about letting go and relying on someone else. She had never wanted to do that until she had met Chris. Then again, the fact that she came to that decision so quickly was another thing that scared her. How could this man flip her world upside down so fast?

Before anything else could be said, a nursing assistant came into the room, “Ms. Burnham, my name is Georgia, and I’m here to help you with your shower so you can be released and go home.”

Chris gave Sabrina a kiss, then moved from the bed to allow her to get up. He excused himself from the room, electing to give them privacy so she could get showered, he walked over to the waiting room again to make a call.

“Hey, saw the news about Sabrina, how is she?”

“Hey, Scott. I’m with her in Chicago, she’s about to get out of the hospital. She’ll be okay, but she hasn’t eaten or slept in damn near four weeks.”

“Fuck, are you kidding? No wonder she collapsed.”

“I’m taking her to Vermont, gonna go off the grid for a week to see if I can get her back to balanced.”

“You might make it worse when you leave, you know that, right?”

“Shit never thought of that,” Chris ran his fingers through his hair and began pacing, “I just wanted to find a way to relieve her stress and get her away from everything.”

“You’re heart is in the right place, Chris. But, it might not work the way you expect, you’ve got to be prepared for that. Look, I’m not trying to burst your bubble, man. I know you’ve been missing her, so this is your opportunity to be with her. Just be careful, okay.”

“Yeah, thanks. I can’t help but think part of this is my fault for leaving in the first place.”

“Are you kidding? None of this is your fault. But I do need to ask, how long of a break did you get from this movie you’re making? Don’t you need to be back in Asia?”

“Yeah, well they can shoot around me for now. Luckily, they can hold off until I get back to do my stuff, but they aren’t happy I left. I can’t afford to be gone more than a week, though,” he sighed heavily, thinking about all that was going on and how he was going to deal with it all. “I believe she’s holding something back, Scott. Something is going on that she’s not telling me.”

“Like what? Is she pregnant or something?”

“Oh, God! Damn, I never thought of that. Why did you have to go down that path, Scott? That wasn’t even on my fucking radar? I was more concerned with the fact that she had a major fight with Audrey and never told me. And I’m thinking about the fact that she received flowers and there was no card, but she was really freaked out about them. So, my mind is on things that have been going on work related or something that is freaking her out and leading her to not eating or sleeping, and you throw something in there that never even crossed my damn mind.”

Scott was trying to contain his laughter, he had made the comment as an off-handed joke, but it had completely freaked his brother out. The more Chris freaked out about it, the more Scott began to wonder if it could be a legitimate possibility for the two of them. After all, Chris had eventually come clean and told him they went at one another like love sick rabbits.

“Chris, don’t you think if she were pregnant, you’d know about it by now? I mean, it would have been brought up by now by the nurses and doctor, right?”

Chris thought about it for a minute, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I should add it to the list of things for us to talk about, though. I need to go, Scott, I need to see if she is out of the shower and ready to leave. I’ll check in with you in a few days.”

“Ok, be careful, Chris,” Scott disconnected the call and hoped that his brother’s plan would work.

As Chris hung up, his own anxiety had grown exponentially. He couldn’t let Sabrina know that, however. He took a few deep breaths and then walked back into her room. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, fully dressed, her hair was straight and falling gently on her shoulders. It was longer than it had been the last time he saw her, and she had never worn it straight like this; he loved the look. She was dressed in a pair of casual pants, a t-shirt, and a cardigan sweater, yet she looked sophisticated. However, the outfit definitely highlighted the fact she had lost weight. He wasn’t going to make a comment about it, though.

“Are you ready to leave, babe?” Chris asked as he approached her.

“Yeah, Georgia went to get my discharge paperwork and a wheelchair. Do you have a car downstairs for us?”

Chris smiled, “Yes, ma’am I do.” But before he could say anything else, Georgia entered the room.

“Ok, Ms. Burnham, are you ready to go?” She walked over to help ease Sabrina off the bed and into the wheelchair. She grabbed Sabrina’s bag of personal items, including her purse, placing them on her lap and began to wheel her out the door. Georgia made no indication that she recognized Chris, or that he was even in the room.

When they exited the main hospital doors, Chris opened the door on the waiting Town Car, then helped Sabrina out of the wheelchair into the car. He thanked Georgia for her assistance and climbed into the car, directing the driver to Chicago Executive Airport for their flight.

“I can’t talk you out of this trip can I?” Sabrina asked, her head down, staring at her lap.

Chris eased himself closer to her, placing his arm around her shoulder, pulling her to his body. “No, you can’t,” he kissed her temple, “For the record, I’m not trying to punish you by taking you away. Please don’t think of it that way.”

Sabrina twisted, moving to put her arms around Chris, settling her head on his shoulder. She made herself comfortable against him, “So, you are really mine for a week? No interruptions?”

Chris smiled, he loved the feeling of her wrapped in his arms, “Yes, I’m all yours, no interruptions.”

~ * ~  
Chris unlocked the door, hurried in and turned off the alarm, then walked back to the car to get Sabrina and their bags. She had been surprised when he told her they were going to Vermont. It was the last place she would have considered for a getaway. But she had to admit, as they pulled down the long driveway, the house was beautiful, and it was certainly remote. They were off the beaten path and unless you knew where this house was, you weren’t going to just happen upon it. The fact they flew out of the private FBO in Chicago into a small airport in Vermont, also meant that the chance for paparazzi to find them was between slim and none. Unless they were tipped off, and then she figured they could sue whoever breached their confidentiality agreement.

Chris opened her door, helping her out of the car. Sliding his arm around her waist, he shut the car door behind her and began walking her up the sidewalk. “This house is beautiful, is it yours?” She asked as they breached the front threshold.

“No, it belongs to my best friend, Tara and her husband, they’re letting us borrow it for the week.”

“I’m pretty sure I know someone who could design a hideaway of your own if you wanted it,” she offered with a slight chuckle.

“Oh yeah? Well, maybe one day you can put me in touch with this person,” he teased back. He guided her towards the large sofa in the living room, the kind where once you sit down, it’s hard to get back up. She sank down into the cushions, just like he hoped, “I’m going to get the bags, don’t move.” She smiled and nodded, keeping her eyes on him as he exited the house.

Within minutes, Chris was back in the house, the massive oak door was closing, and he was by her side. “Not bothering to put them away?” She asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Nah, I didn’t want to run upstairs and leave you, I figured we can take them upstairs later when we go up for the night.”

“So, what made you decide on bringing me here?”

Chris situated himself in the corner over of the large sofa, motioning for her to come closer. Sabrina is able to saddle up next to him, placing her head on his chest, he wraps his arms around her to let her know that he has her, literally and figuratively. “I wanted to take you someplace where you could feel safe. I feel safe here, so if I felt safe, I figured you would, too.”

She smiled, although she was sure he couldn’t see it, “That is mighty romantic, Mr. Evans.”

“Don’t tell anyone, it might ruin my reputation.”

~ * ~  
For the first few nights, Chris and Sabrina took their time in reacquainting themselves with one another. While Chris wanted nothing more than to make love to her, he knew she needed to relax and gain strength back. He took every opportunity to snuggle, kiss and show her that he cared for her, but he didn’t push her into anything and let it progress naturally. She knew he cared for her, and that was being conveyed in so many ways other than having sex.

It was their fourth night, and Chris had decided to take Sabrina out for dinner. There was an excellent restaurant twenty minutes or so from the house, deep set in the woods with the perfect atmosphere for them. It would be good to get out of the house for a change.

They were seated at a corner table, window view looking out at the lake view and surrounding trees. Chris ordered a bottle of wine and contemplated how to have the serious conversations with her that he knew they needed to have before going back to the real world.

“What are you thinking about, Chris?” Sabrina asked, reaching across the table and touching his hand, “You have a such a serious scowl on your face.”

He smiled, trying to shake the thoughts from his mind, “Nothing, it’s not important. I’m sorry, I didn’t intend to look so menacing.”

“When are you making me go back to Chicago?”

“Oh, making you go back? The woman who didn’t want to leave, now doesn’t want to go back?” He let out a light chuckle, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze, “I don’t want to make you go back, baby. But the day after tomorrow, we leave in the morning. I need to catch a flight back to Asia.”

“So, just how much trouble are you in for being here and not there?”

“Well, let’s just say that what it’s cost me for the production changes and what I’m paying for this trip, this movie better be a blockbuster,” he winked and gave her a smile. Unfortunately, she looked worried, and the color drained from her face. “Sabrina, I’m kidding, I was trying to make a joke about it. Honestly, it wasn’t a big deal and even if it was, I was going to do whatever it took to make sure I was here for you.”

“I just don’t want you to jeopardize your career, that’s all.”

“Don’t you worry about that. Look,” he glanced around the room to see just how much privacy they had, “All jokes aside, I have a pretty good reputation on all of my movie sets. I don’t pull diva behavior, and I work hard, everyone knows it. So, if I pop up one time and say I have a personal emergency to tend to, they can’t really argue with me.”

Sabrina flashed him a half-smile, “I never thought of it that way. Does anyone know the truth? I mean that your personal emergency was for me?”

Chris took a drink of wine before answering, “My agent, my publicist, my assistant, and my brother. My agent and my publicist needed to know in case there were any photographs of us together. I couldn’t let them be blindsided. I figured someone would tweet that they saw me flying to Chicago, but I got lucky.”

“You don’t want anyone to know about us?” The tone of her question made it sound as if she was disappointed at the thought.

Chris gave Sabrina a questioning look, “I thought you didn’t want anyone to know about us? I’m suddenly confused,” once again he looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to the two of them or their conversation. “I want to have this conversation with you, but I’m not sure if having it here is a good idea. Can we wait until we get back to the house?”

Sabrina nodded, taking a drink from her water glass, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Chris. He suddenly realized that Sabrina had not taken a drink from her wine glass at all. Come to think of it, she hadn’t had any alcohol when he has had it during the week. She has politely refused each time. Damn it, Scott’s words were now bellowing in his ears.  
  
The waiter had approached their table to take the order, but Chris was not paying attention. He was wrapped up in his own headspace. Sabrina had to snap her fingers in front of his face to get him to snap to attention. He apologized profusely, then ordered and apologized to the waiter for the delay.

“Where were you just now?” Sabrina asked, concerned as to how far off he seemed.

“Sorry, I guess I was lost in thought.”

“You want to share?” She asked hopefully.

“Maybe later, I feel there are too many eyes and ears here.”

Through the remainder of dinner, the conversation was light and steered away from any topic that could be remotely personal. Chris wanted to have those conversations when they returned home. They ordered dessert to go, paid the check, and Chris escorted Sabrina to the car.

They were halfway to the house when Sabrina spoke up, “Would you be disappointed if I said I wanted to put the dessert in the refrigerator and go to bed?”

Chris looked over at her, “No, baby, that’s fine. This vacation was about you relaxing and getting your strength back. If you’re tired, go to bed, it won’t hurt my feelings,” it completely hurt his feelings, but he didn’t want her to know that he wanted to seem supportive.

She reached, running her hand along his thigh, “I want us to go to bed, not me,” she purred.

His eyebrows shot up, “Oh! Well, I’m definitely not going to complain, then,” his foot pressed down on the accelerator, he suddenly wanted to get back to the house as quickly as possible.

 


	19. Chapter 19

Kyle Chapman was sitting in the small apartment he rented in Chicago. It wasn't fancy, in fact, it was barely furnished. He just had the necessities: a couch, a kitchen table, a drafting table, a few bar stools, and a bed. The kitchen table was pushed against the large picture window, providing the perfect perch for the telescope and camera equipment that was used to spy on the 80th-floor penthouse across the river.

He kept the equipment set up at all times. He wanted to be ready at a moment’s notice to have eyes on Sabrina when she was home. But after his initial visit with Special Agent Coleman, knowing he was being watched, he felt it was a good idea to be a little more discreet. It would not be in his best interest for Coleman to drop by for a visit and see what he was up to. No, that was not an additional investigation that he wanted to invite upon himself.

This apartment did not seem cozy or homey. Instead, it was stark and cold. Since the divorce, the idea of a warm and cozy home was foreign to Kyle. He had allowed bitterness, jealousy, anger, and hatred to keep him warm for too long now. His place in Austin held his personal belongings, the pieces of his past, but it wasn't home either. The only place that had pictures, his office in Austin, and that was so he could show off his wife. In the office, it was to give him status; he was married to Sabrina Burnham. He never told anyone he was divorced, he still wore his wedding ring, for him; it was an illusion.

It didn't bother him as much that the camera and telescope were put away, Sabrina had not been home in the past few weeks. The security guard in her building had been keeping him updated; her assistant had been coming and going, but no sign of Sabrina. Kyle figured that it meant Sabrina was sleeping in the office, she was probably working too hard. He hated that he couldn't have eyes on her there. Sure enough, he watched the groundbreaking for her new building on TV and saw her collapse. She would be rushed to the hospital, and there would be no way he could get in to see her. He did the only thing he knew to do; he sent flowers. A large bouquet of pink and white peonies; there was no need to send a card, these were the flowers he always sent her, it was his thing.

He was lost in his thoughts of Sabrina when there was a loud knock at the door. He jumped, realizing it was either Vinnie's boys coming to give him a job, or it was the FBI. Either way, he didn't want to answer the door. Two more loud knocks, he realized they weren't going away, Kyle finally relented and opened the door.

"Was wondering how long it was gonna take for you to open the door," Special Agent Coleman said as she pushed past him and entered his apartment. She stopped in the middle of the spacious living room, placing her hands on her hips and surveyed the surroundings, "All the money you have going in and out of your bank account and you live like a homeless man, unbelievable."

Kyle just stared at her, trying to reconcile the words she just spoke. "Excuse me? What are you doing here, Coleman? And by the way, I don't think I invited you to come in," he was a bit indignant.

"Let's get something straight, Chapman. I'm the FBI, and you're a low life under investigation for criminal activity, I don't need a damn invitation to come in," she turned around, never moving her hands from her hips, her eyes practically lasering through him.

"Fine, what do you want?"

Coleman walked over to the kitchen table, pulling out one of the chairs and taking a seat. She looked out the window, taking in the view of the river and of the city below, "One hell of a view you have here, tell me, exactly how do you afford this place as well as your place in Austin?"

"I'm an architect; I make good money. Besides, as you said, I live like a homeless person. I'm not into material things; I don't spend a lot of money on stuff."

"You're a junior architect, Chapman. They don't make nearly the same amount of money the lead architects do. I mean, you took a significant hit when you killed all those folks, right? No one trusts your designs; all your work is double checked by lead architects and design engineers now from what I understand. No one wants to have a building that has your name all over the design."

Kyle could feel the blood in his veins beginning to boil. She was pushing his buttons on purpose. She wanted him to go off and explode, so she had the right ammunition against him. He began measured breathing, just like the therapist had told him, well before he quit going to her. "I'm doing alright, monetarily. And yeah, I got bumped to being a junior architect, but at least I don't have to deal with the stress that the lead architects have to deal with. So, I'm not complaining."

"Oh, c'mon Chapman, you expect me to believe that? You were jealous of the success of your wife, so you're telling me you're okay with being the low man on the totem pole? You have more advanced degrees than some of the folks in your office," she continued to egg him on. "By the way, isn't that the building where your ex-wife lives? Right across the river from here?"

"I'm sure you're not here to talk to me about my ex-wife, my apartment, or if I'm okay with my fucking job title," he seethed through clenched teeth.

Coleman tried to suppress her smile; she was enjoying the fact that she was getting under his skin. "I did, because it all intersects. Well, maybe not your ex-wife, I'm just curious about that piece of it because something isn't sitting right with me where she's concerned. But I told you I'm doing my research on you and your finances don't add up, Kyle."

Now he began to worry, the reach of the FBI meant that they could pull his bank records, his credit history, everything on him. Shit, he knew this was going to be trouble, Coleman had it out for him; she wasn't kidding when she told him in Austin that she thought he got away with murder. She wanted to take him down, and by God, she was going to do it. He was trying not to sweat, he had no trouble intimidating Sabrina, but this woman, nope, she scared the hell out of him.

Coleman began tapping her fingers on the table, "See, I know you owe Saldonna a hefty amount of change. Word on the street is you owe him around ten million, give or take. Does that sound about right?"

Kyle said nothing, didn't move a muscle; he figured any movement could be seen as confirming her suspicions, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

"It's okay, my CI is pretty reliable, so I feel good with the number," Coleman said calmly, "So, it got me thinking about how you have to be paying him back. A junior architect, with two places of residence, there has to be some trick, right? I started pulling your bank records, Chapman and imagine my surprise when I found these wire transfers for significant amounts of money each month."

Fuck, he was screwed. Coleman was playing herself off as folksy, a sweet southern woman who didn't know what she was doing. The bitch knew exactly what she was doing. "Get to your point," he snapped.

"Well these deposits, you've been getting them for years, about ten it looks like. But the amounts keep going up, and they jumped significantly about the time that building fell. And then your last payment went up again. So tell me, what are you holding over Sabrina's head?"

~ * ~  
Chris and Sabrina had been staying in the large guest room at the end of the hall on the second floor. It was his favorite guest room, the one he always claimed during his holiday visits with Tara. The large, four poster king bed was situated in front of the cathedral windows, providing a gorgeous view into the woods. Chris always loved this view on a bright moonlit night when there was a blanket of snow on the ground; the snow would sparkle like diamonds. He figured it was only proper they stay in this room; he wouldn’t feel right staying in Tara’s room; that would be creepy. She was his best friend, but he wasn’t crossing that line, even if the sheets were fresh!

The heat between him and Sabrina was measurable; somehow they had kept their hands off of one another as they had ascended the stairs towards the bedroom. Chris was a few steps behind her, watching as she slowly took each step, the motion of her leg and her footfall on the step. He admired the movements of the muscles in her calves, all the way up her thighs. It took everything within him not to reach out and run his hands up her legs.

As she took the last step, she turned to look back at him. Chris stopped, looking up at her, smiling as she gave him the ‘come hither’ look. He didn’t think it was possible to become any more aroused than he already was, but he was wrong. He let out a low growl as she walked off and he took the final few steps and followed her down the hallway. When he got to the bedroom door, he noticed she had turned the three-way bulb in the bedside lamp to the lowest setting, providing a soft glow to the room. She Sabrina had already pulled the covers back on the bed and was currently struggling to unzip the back of the black dress she had worn to dinner.

Chris stepped up behind her, sweeping her hair to the side, providing the perfect access to the zipper, but also to her neck. He helped himself, kissing her down her slender neck, sliding one arm around her waist and resting it on her stomach. He gently pulled her back closer to him, their bodies touching, the heat radiating between them.

He whispered in her ear, “Are you sure you’re up for this, baby? I don’t want to push you; I want to make sure you’ve got your strength back,” his breathy words on her skin practically sent her over the edge.

“I’ve waited long enough,” she was able to get out, her breath catching in her throat, “I’ve needed this, wanted this, for weeks. Don’t make me wait any longer, Chris.”

He spun her around in his arms, unzipping the dress as his lips crushed against hers in a passionate kiss. His tongue gliding across her lips, begging for access to explore her mouth. Her hands reached for his shirt, pulling it from his pants and frantically unbuttoning it. The two broke their kiss long enough for him to shrug out of his shirt and for her to shimmy out of her dress.

“Fuck,” the word escaped his lips without thought. Sabrina was standing in front of him wearing a barely there lace demi bra, her heaving breasts practically spilling out of it, and matching lace panties. “Remind me to send Alice a thank you card for packing those. And give her a raise, will you?”

Sabrina gave him a wicked smile, “I own them, so do I get a raise?” She asked, stepping forward to unbutton his trousers.

“Yeah, I’ve got one for you,” he teased as he began kissing her again, this time walking her back towards the bed. He gently picked her up, placing her on the bed, his eyes looking over her body, taking in every part of her. He missed her like this, naked or nearly so and ready for him to make love to her. While they had been sleeping together, in the same bed, for the last few nights, they had not been intimate. Each of them had been clothed, they had kissed and cuddled, but there had been no sex or even heavy petting. Chris had wanted her, he ached for her each night but had been worried about pushing her due to her need to recover. Instead, he took care of himself each morning in the shower, praying she wouldn’t walk in on him or even hear him. He was so hard that he was afraid he would explode the moment he slid into her.

He made quick work of shedding his trousers and boxer briefs, freeing his erection and proving to her that he was more than ready for her. He reached forward, in one quick motion, he rid Sabrina of her panties, causing her to yelp with delight. He crawled onto the bed, positioning himself over her, using his right knee to part her legs. He knelt in between her legs, leaning forward, his hands on either side of her head, crushing his lips to hers. His tongue pushed past her lips, tasting her and wrapping itself around hers; she was delicious. He inhaled her scent; he was so turned on, but he wanted the moment to last.

Sabrina, on the other hand, was not willing to wait. She put her hand on his chest, wrapped her legs around him and flipped him over. She wanted to be on top and take control, “I told you, I’ve waited long enough,” her voice was raspy and breathless. Chris stared at her wide-eyed. Sabrina laced her fingers with his, holding them up near his head, and gently lowered herself onto his throbbing cock.

Their bodies moved in a slow rhythm at first, getting reacquainted with one another. Sabrina decided to let go of his hands, wanting leverage, she moved to hold onto his shoulders. Chris put his hands on her hips, helping to guide her. Her painstakingly slow rocking was torture to them both, but neither one of them was ready to climax just yet; it felt too good to stop.

Chris moved his hands to Sabrina's breasts, kneading them and gently pinching her nipples between his fingers and thumb. He could feel her walls clench; she was nearing climax, "Oh, Chris," she began to pant.

"What, baby? Tell me what you want," he responded back to her, "Do you want to cum for me?" Sabrina began to nod her head, unable to form the words to answer fully.

He rolled her over and began to thrust into her. It didn't take long before they were both careening over the edge; screaming each other's name as they climaxed in unison.

Chris collapsed to the side of Sabrina, trying to catch his breath.

“Oh, shit, that was incredible,” Sabrina turned her body, snuggling to his side. She reached up and wiped his hair off his forehead, along with the beaded sweat. “You had to hold out for a while, are you okay?” She ran her hand down his chest and gently caressed his semi-erect cock. It twitched in response.

“Don’t, oh God, don’t touch it,” he said with a somewhat pained tone in his voice, “Real sensitive, baby, oh shit.”

Sabrina let out a low, evil laugh, “So, you’re not okay, then?”

Chris reached for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers, “I am better than okay. And yes, that was utterly fantastic. The question is, how are you? Are you all right?”

“I'm all right,” she realized he had asked that question with lots of concern in his voice. Come to think of it, until the very end; he had been extremely gentle with her during sex. More so than usual, not that Chris was a rough lover, he wasn’t. But he was overly cautious and concerned, and it just seemed out of character, “Chris?”

“Hmm?” He responded, his eyes were lidded, the exhaustion of what they had just done was catching up to him.

“You’ve been treating me a little different these last few days. Tonight, well, tonight you were a bit more gentle than usual when we were making love. Why the change?”

Chris opened his eyes; a little surprised she was bringing it up. He knew he had to have this conversation with her; it had been rattling around in his brain since his phone call with Scott. How he was going to bring it up was his biggest concern, and it appeared she had just opened the door for him. That didn’t mean it was going to be any easier to have the talk. He knew that no matter how he broached the subject, it would be uncomfortable. And honestly, he didn’t know if he would be disappointed no matter the answer.

“I was worried about your condition, thought I should be gentle with you, that’s all.”

“My condition?” she let out a chuckle, “Are you talking about the fact that I collapsed and was weak? You don’t have to worry about that you know. I’m fine; it’s behind me.”

“Um, yeah but is there’s a reason why that happened?”

“Yeah, I didn’t eat or sleep for four weeks. I was stressed out and acting stupid, that’s all, you don’t need to worry about me.”

He took a deep breath; he was just going to go for it, “Sabrina, is there a chance that you’re pregnant?”

She immediately sat up, looking down at him as if he was crazy, “What? Where in the world is that coming from?”

Chris sat up, his expression serious, “I don’t know, I feel like you’ve been keeping something from me. I mean, I know I’ve been on the other side of the world, we haven’t been able to talk like we want to. Our relationship, or whatever this is, has been difficult these past few weeks. But, you’ve not been eating, not sleeping, your emotions are riding high,” his voice trailed off, she was glowering at him.

“My emotions? What in the hell is that supposed to mean?”

He sighed heavily; this was the perfect example, but he wasn’t about to point that out to her. “You’re fighting with your best friend, you completely freaked out over a vase of flowers that were delivered, you’re riding an emotional roller coaster. I’m concerned about you. That’s all,” he paused for a moment before continuing. He needed to make sure his voice conveyed that he was not upset, the idea that she might be pregnant was not a problem for him. He didn’t want her to think that he didn’t want to sound acquisitory or angry, just needed her to know he was worried.

He put his hand on the nape of her neck, pulling her close, placing a soft kiss on her lips. Resting his forehead on hers, he began to coo, “You’ve not been yourself, I’m trying to figure out what is going on. Some of the things that are going on, they just mirror symptoms of pregnancy. I know you said you were using birth control, but there is always the chance that it could fail. I had to ask, for the record, I wouldn’t be freaked out if you were.”

She listened to what he said, but she could not contain her reaction. She pulled back from him and snapped, “You might not be freaked out, but I sure in the hell would be. No, I’m not pregnant, and I don’t want to be. My condition, as you called it, was just because I was stressed out and not eating or sleeping. That’s it, Chris. As far as my fight with my best friend,” she grew quiet, she didn’t want to tell him the truth. It wasn’t her place to tell him about Audrey’s feelings and how that played a role in their relationship being blown apart.

“Did that have to do with her feelings for me?”

Sabrina couldn’t hide her surprise, “You know?”

“I confronted her on why she didn’t call me what about your collapse, why I had to get a Google alert on it. She came clean, told me she didn’t work for you and told me she had feelings for me. She said you two had a fight, but didn’t tell me all of those details. I was too hung up on her confession that she had feelings for me.”

“She pushed me to go out with you, give you a chance, then got angry with me because we’re together.”

Chris watched her expression as she said the words. He couldn’t leave well enough alone; he figured if they were clearing the air, he needed the answer to the one thing that has been nagging him for weeks. “Are we together, Sabrina? How exactly do you see us? I mean, you just made it abundantly clear that you are thankful that you are not pregnant and you don’t ever want me to get you pregnant. So, am I nothing more than a fuck toy for you? Is this just a fling for you?”

Her heart stopped, those were not words she had anticipated him saying. Her words were stuck in her throat; her body was frozen. When she didn’t respond to him, Chris eased himself off the bed, reaching for his boxer briefs, he began to get dressed.

As he dressed, he started talking, “See, before Audrey admitted her feelings for me, she told me that you don’t do relationships. I should prepare myself for disappointment. I won’t get from you what I want. I told her she was wrong, after all, you and I had a connection, we made a physical and chemical connection, I felt it,” he stopped and looked up at her. He had his trousers on as well as his shirt, but he had not bothered to button it. “I was hoping this was all more than just mindless fucking for you, that you were letting your emotions take part, that you were letting me in. You see, this wasn’t a fling for me, my emotions were there the entire time. So much so, I was planning to tell you during this trip that I love you, even though I was fully aware you wouldn’t be able to say it back to me.”

Sabrina just stared at him, the words echoing in her head. He had said he loved her. Her heart was beating rapidly; she could hear the blood rushing in her ears. It either meant she was going to pass out or have a panic attack, she wasn’t sure which. The room was beginning to spin; it was a panic attack. No man had told her that he loved her since Kyle; the last time he said it and truly meant it, was more than ten years ago. She had not known Chris that long, how could he feel that way about her so quickly?

He started to walk away from her. He could tell she was having a hard time dealing with the words he had spat at her. But he could not just stand there all night and hope she could get the nerve to answer him. No, he had to save face, he needed to walk away. He had taken three steps towards the door when he heard her voice break.

“You’re not a fling or a fuck toy,” her words were barely audible, she was crying and whispering. He hated that she was crying, that he had made her cry, but he needed to hear more from her before he was willing to turn around. He would at least stay in the room, for the moment. “Emotions are hard for me, but if you think this was just a mindless fuck, you’re wrong, Chris.”

With those words, he turned around to face her. She had pulled her knees up to her chest; her arms are wrapped around her legs, hugging herself. Tears streaking down her face, he could see the hurt in her eyes, and he felt a pang of guilt over what he had said. She wasn’t looking at him. Her stare was straight ahead at where he had one been standing. She never shifted her gaze.

“Why can’t you just tell me what is going on in that head of yours? Let me in; Sabrina quit making this so damn hard.”

“I’m broken, can’t you see that? Maybe you’re better off without me. I don’t know how to handle a relationship, especially one that is moving so fast and making me feel things I haven’t felt in a long time. I’m scared, Chris, scared that I feel this way and what it all means.”

He hadn’t moved since she started talking. Instead, he just watched her, waiting to see what she would do. She never turned to look at him; she just kept staring straight ahead. “Why do you think I’d be better off without you?” His voice was soft; it wasn’t angry or hateful. He genuinely wanted to know the answer.

"I've spent my whole life trying to be the best architect, sacrificing my personal life so that I could have professional success," she finally turned and looked at him, "I'm 42 years old, and you're what, 35?"

"36," he answered quietly.

"I've spent my life not wanting kids, and you, that's what you want. You said you wouldn't have been upset if I had told you I was pregnant. I'm too old to give you the family you want. So, maybe you would be better off finding a younger woman," she trailed off, the tears beginning to fall from her eyes.

She took a deep breath and looked up at him. He was watching her with what she was certain was pity, "You want to know what is worse? There is a part of me that thinks I actually want that with you after all. That's why I'm so scared, that everything I've always known and said I wanted, I'm willing to consider giving it up. For a man, I've known for a little more than a month."

Now Chris decided it was time to move, he walked to the bed, taking a seat next to Sabrina. He reached over, wrapping his arm around her, pulling her body to his. “You’re not the only one who is scared, do you think I run around and fall in love with women I’ve known for only a month? This isn’t normal for me either.”

“Then why do you seem more composed?” She sniffled.

“You do remember that I’m an actor, right?” He chuckled, “I’ve gotten pretty good at being able to hide my emotions when I need to.” He moved Sabrina so he could look her in the eyes, “You scare the hell out of me. You’re not like any woman I’ve ever been involved with, Sabrina. I don’t know where I stand with you because you won’t open up to me. I just want you to trust me; I have no intention of hurting you.”

“Wait! I scare you? Why in the world would an architect from Chicago scare a famous actor?”

“You are so self-assured and command a room when you walk in. The people of Chicago eat out of the palm of your hand, it’s unreal.”

“Why did you think I only thought of you as a boy toy? I don’t understand what made you think that I felt that way,” she asked as she put her head back on his shoulder.

“You didn’t want to be seen in public with me. You didn’t want anyone to know about us being together. I thought you were embarrassed by me. I figured you thought I was beneath you, I wasn’t the type of guy you should be seen with,” he sounded almost apologetic for saying it out loud. While it made sense in his head, out loud it made him sound like an idiot.

“I never wanted to take you out in public because of the attention. Face it, you have photographers following you consistently if it isn’t the paparazzi then it’s fangirls stalking you. I’m not ready for that, Chris. I’m already anxiety riddled over the idea of you and me, but add that into the mix. I just don’t know if I could handle it,” she reached out for his hand, lacing her fingers with his and squeezing his hand for reassurance. “Besides, keeping you in the apartment, well, it allowed us to get to know each other, shall we say, intimately?”

“We definitely got to know each other intimately,” he answered with a laugh.

“I’m sorry if I made you feel anything less than special, Chris. My heart broke when you left, I thought you realized that you meant more to me,” the tears began to form in her eyes once again.

Chris moved his arm and began rubbing her back, “Shhh, I knew you were upset when I left. It’s okay, baby, I promise.”

“Did you mean what you said? Do you really love me?”

He let out a heavy sigh, “Yeah, as crazy as it sounds, I do.”

Sabrina moved so that she was straddling Chris’ lap, she slid her arms around him, under his shirt. Tucking her head under his chin, pulling herself to him so they were chest to chest. Chris felt the tears slid down her cheeks, onto his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in a hug and gently rubbing her back.

“I love you, too,” she whispered.

Chris could not believe she said it back to him, it was not what he had expected to hear. He felt as if his heart would burst, he already knew he couldn’t speak, any words would get caught in his throat. After holding her for a few minutes, he stood from the bed, she was still wrapped in his arms. He pulled the covers back on the bed and put her down gently. He then moved to the other side of the bed, quickly shedding his clothes and joining her in bed. She immediately went to him, rolling her back to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent.

“Go to sleep baby, we can talk more in the morning,” he murmured, his voice velvety smooth.

~ * ~  
Sabrina slowly opened her eyes, she was lying on her stomach, her arms up under the pillow. She could feel the sheet draped across the lower part of her back, with the lightness of the mattress, she could tell she was alone in bed. She didn’t want to move her head to check Chris’ side of the bed, she didn’t want to see the emptiness beside her. She took a deep breath, thinking back to the discussion from last night, the fact they had each declared their love for one another. She couldn’t believe she said the words out loud, honestly, if he hadn’t said it first, the words might not have escaped her lips.

As she was getting lost in her own thoughts, she heard footsteps nearing the door. Casting her eyes upward, she noticing Chris coming into the bedroom with the coffee carafe and mugs. He smiled at her, “Well, look who decided to wake up,” he sat everything down on the nightstand then took a seat on the mattress next to her. He leaned down, giving her a kiss on the head while pulling the sheet up so she could cover herself as she sat up.

“Hey, good morning,” she sat up, pulling the sheet up to her chest, “What time is it?”

“Almost 9, I was afraid I was going to wake you when I got up, but you were out cold. I think the emotion of last night wore you out,” he poured her a cup of coffee, handing handed it to her, “How do you feel this morning?”

Sabrina took a tentative sip from her cup, then tried to form a coherent thought to answer him. “I’m okay, I guess. Still trying to wrap my brain around everything we talked about and what it means for us going forward. How are you?”

“The same,” he took a drink of his coffee as well, “I’m not regretting that I told you I love you, though. Are you regretting you said it back?”

Sabrina took another sip of her coffee, the warm liquid helping her resolve, she smiled at me him, “No, I don’t regret it. I just don’t know if I should have admitted I was broken, that’s all.”

Chris reached over, placing his cup back on the nightstand. He then leaned over, his hands on either side of Sabrina, his face close to hers, “Babe, we need to be honest with one another, you telling me that you’re broken, it explains a lot and helps me understand where we are,” he kissed her lips softly. Pushing back, he took her coffee cup from her hand, “We’ve had enough conversations in the last 24 hours with you naked, literally and figuratively, why don’t you take a shower and get dressed. We can continue this downstairs in a bit.” Kissing her again, he got up from the bed, picking up the coffee cups and carafe and went downstairs.

Sabrina watched as he walked out of the room. The thought that was going through her mind, ‘how am I so lucky to have him?’ Seriously, he was almost perfect! Okay, maybe not, but the fact that he was caring, understanding, gorgeous, and in love with her, it was all too much to ask for in one person. Her thoughts went back for a moment to Kyle, and how he was going to do what he could to ruin her and if ever found out who Chris was, he would destroy him, too.

Chris said they needed to be honest with one another, and he was right. But she couldn't tell him about Kyle, at least not yet. She was going to try and take care of Kyle on her own, he was in financial trouble, and she knew it. If she could help get him out of his mess, he might step away, and the risk for Chris would be zero. Why get him upset over something if she could get it to disappear? Besides, if Chris knew what Kyle was up to, he would want to kick his ass. And that would not look good for Chris, Disney and Marvel would not be happy that story hit the paper.

No, the goal was to protect Chris at all costs. Keep him out of trouble, keep him out of the tabloids. She got out of bed, headed for the bathroom to take her shower.

Sabrina descended the stairs into the living room about an hour later. Chris was sitting on the couch, smartphone in hand, checking his emails. He looked up and smiled as he watched her come into the room. “I was beginning to worry if you were going to come downstairs or not,” he joked as he clicked his phone off and sat it on the table.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting, it took me a little time to get out of bed. I didn’t really want to move,” she laughed, “I was actually comfortable, even if I was a little bare.”

Chris leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, watching as Sabrina sat across from him in the oversized chair. “I don’t want to rehash everything we already discussed. I just want to talk about where we go from here, are you ready for that conversation?”  
Sabrina didn’t speak, but she did nod in agreement. “Are you willing to give us a real shot? Call it a relationship and consider us dating?”

Sabrina let a smile cross her lips, “Yes, I’m willing to say that we’re dating, are you?”

“Yes, I am. But you realize that with my job, I’m not always available when you want me or need me, right? I can’t just drop everything and run to you, and if I’m in an intense role, I might be emotionally unavailable.”

“I get that, I might not like it,” she admitted, “But I understand it. Just like you have to know my job is stressful, I have deadlines, and I put in long hours when those deadlines get close. I might be just as unavailable as you are.”

“Understood, we just need to keep an open line of communication between us,” Chris took a deep breath, not sure how to continues, “We also have to be completely honest with one another. No secrets, understood?”

Sabrina swallowed hard, this was going to be the most difficult part of their agreement. She knew this is where she should tell him about Kyle, but she couldn’t do it. She knew she was about to start this relationship with a lie between them, one that could eventually bite her in the ass. But she had no choice, she wasn’t ready to admit she was divorced, or being blackmailed, “I understand, no secrets, Chris.”

“Ok, so, in the interest of being open and honest with you, I have a few things to tell you. First of all, I have an unhealthy obsession with the New England Patriots and Tom Brady. Second, I have a tendency to break out into song and dance,” he was laughing at this point and noticing that Sabrina was stifling her laugh as well. “And third, when I love someone, I do all I can to protect that person and make them happy. Now, it’s your turn.”

Sabrina took a deep breath and calmed her nerves, “Ok, first and foremost, I have an intense dislike for the New England Patriots and Tom Brady and will do my best to not hold that against you. Keep in mind, I’m from Chicago, and no matter how bad we are, I’m a fan of Da Bears!” A smile broke out, and Chris could not help but return it, she was trying so hard to be adorable, “Second, I’ve seen you dance, and it turns me on. So, please feel free to dance whenever you want. And third, I want to do all I can to protect you and make you happy. I’m afraid the person I’m protecting you from is me, I don’t know how to do relationships, so please go easy on me.”

“Come here,” Chris motioned for Sabrina to join him on the couch. She walked over, and he pulled her down so she was sitting on his lap. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck, they moved towards one another and met in a passionate kiss.


	20. Chapter 20

Sabrina had been back in Chicago for almost two weeks, while she missed Vermont, she was glad to be home. She had been able to find a happy medium in her relationship with Chris, specifically with their communication since he had gone back to Asia to work on his movie. He was working long hours to make up for the week that he missed while they were in Vermont. And while he had expressed how much he hated the long hours, he did not regret the week they spent together, not even for a brief second. She was working long hours as well, although, instead of doing all the work in the office, she was taking some of it home.

The time difference was still an issue for them, but they worked it out with voicemails, emails, and text messages. The scattered messages throughout the day and the ability to hear each other’s voice once in a while closed the gap and made things better. Sabrina had even set her alarm to force herself to be awake at certain times so that she could have real-time phone calls with Chris on the weekends. They were each taking the relationship seriously, they were both happy, and that meant so much.

Work was getting better for Sabrina as well. She had finally filled the General Counsel position, promoting an internal associate named George Tate. She had also started to pass some things off to other associates, clearing her plate and allowing some of her team members to step up. She had tried to find ways to relieve her stress, and this seemed to be working for her. Alice had noticed a difference as well; she was relieved to see that her boss was going home every night and no longer sleeping in the office. It meant that things were back to normal, well, except Audrey’s absence, they were back to normal.

Sabrina had been ruminating over the photographs that Kyle had and how she might be able to get out of her situation with him. Early on, she realized that Kyle had not been able to identify the man in the pictures with her. This was to her advantage, obviously. If he had known, the price for his ‘hush’ money would have been higher. She knew it was risky, but figured she would reach out to Kyle, asking if they could come to some agreement. He would, more than likely, anticipate her doing something like this. After all, she would want to pull out all the stops to save her reputation and keep the pictures from being released.

Calling him was out of the question, she had no desire to hear his voice; she wasn’t sure she could maintain her composure. No, it would be best if she had a paper trail, she could cover her ass if she had to. Besides, he was the idiot who emailed her in the first place about the pictures, he was getting sloppy, so might as well exploit his stupidity. She had her personal laptop with her, opening her email program, she decided to go for it and fire off the email.

Hello Kyle,

Recently, you reached out to me, asking to increase your monthly stipend due to some photographs in your possession. You wanted monetary assistance to keep them private and out of the hands of newspapers and tabloids. I am sending this email with a proposal for you, which I hope will be mutually beneficial.

I am aware you are, shall we say, in financial straights. I’m willing to make an offer, one in which I’ll make a one-time payment in exchange for all copies of the photographs in question. Of course, I’d need some proof that I am, in fact, in receipt of all of the pictures. And receive assurances that they’ll not turn up again somewhere.

The one-time payment would be of $1.5 Million Dollars. This can be done by our standard wire transfer and once paid; your monthly stipend would decrease back to your normal amount.

Please advise if you are accepting of these terms. I look forward to your response.

Regards,  
Sabrina

She read the email several times before hitting send. She prayed he would read it and respond quickly. If she could get this off her mind, it could go a long way in reducing the lingering stress she had. It wouldn’t eliminate her need for telling Chris about Kyle, but it would mean she wouldn’t need to say anything to him about the pictures.

She quickly turned her attention towards the budget for her latest project, figuring if she were able to get lost in the details, she wouldn’t worry about whether Kyle had responded or not. Running through the numbers, she was shocked when she suddenly heard the ding indicating she had received an email. Glancing over at her personal laptop, the email from Kyle in her inbox was enticing and terrifying at the same time. She stared at the screen for a few minutes, her finger hovering over the mouse pad, willing herself to click on the email to open it and read his response. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and clicked the button. When she opened her eyes, she focused on the words and began to read his response.

My dearest Sabrina,

I am so happy to hear from you, although I must admit I’m surprised. Honestly, I’m also a little disappointed that you made no mention of the flowers I sent while you were in the hospital. I hope you’ve recovered; you gave me quite a scare. You need to not work so hard and take better care of yourself.

Yes, unfortunately, my legal situation has left me strapped financially, and it has also impacted my work situation, as you can probably imagine. While there would be some disadvantages to working out a deal with you, the overall financial gain is more valuable to me at the moment. I’m willing to hand over the entire digital library to you; the pictures are on a memory card from the camera. I’m also willing to sign and notarize a document indicating I have no other copies, in exchange for the agreed upon purchase price. I’ll meet you outside the gala event for the exchange; I wouldn’t miss the chance to see you all dressed up for your big night.

Your husband,  
Kyle

Sabrina’s stomach twisted as she read his words. She hated that he signed every note with the phrase, ‘your husband.’ If he loved her, he wouldn’t be torturing her like he was. And he sure in the hell wouldn’t be blackmailing her. She was relieved, however, to know that he was willing to take the deal and that he did not question her motives at all. The only thing that did concern her was the fact that he wanted to do the exchange at the gala. She didn’t want to see him and, more importantly, she didn’t want Kyle to see Chris.

She knew if she sent him an email back with a request to not see him the night of the gala, it would most definitely arouse suspicion. It was no secret that she didn’t want to see him, he was more than aware of it, but he knew damn well she wanted these pictures, so he had the upper hand. If she wanted this to come to an end, she would have to do it on his terms, even though she was giving him the money, he held the cards, or in this case, the photographs. Her only hope was that he would want to meet earlier than the gala because he would want the money faster. Kyle was nothing if not greedy, if she played that angle, she might have a shot to keep the exchange from happening at the gala.

She quickly drafted a response email, sending it back to him with the hopes of it working to her advantage.

Kyle,

My apologies for not mentioning the flowers in my earlier email, it did slip my mind. The peonies were beautiful, and it was very thoughtful of you to send them. I’m feeling much better, and I am taking better care of myself. Thank you for your concern.

While the gala would be a good time for the exchange, I’m willing to meet earlier than that. I have the money ready now, knowing you need it quickly, we can meet immediately if you would like so we can get this cleared up.

Regards,  
Sabrina

She received a short note back almost immediately; he must have been sitting on top of his computer waiting for her email. His email indicated that he could wait the two weeks and he looked forward to seeing her. Damn, now she was stuck. Her only other hope was to find a way to keep Chris from attending. It was going to be tight for him to get back anyway, the gala was on Saturday night, and he was due back in Chicago on Friday evening, around 10 pm. Maybe there could be a delay in the shooting schedule, and he wouldn’t be able to fly back; she couldn’t believe she was going to pray for this to happen. She wanted to see him; she missed him terribly, but right now, she needed to keep him away from Kyle, that was more important.

~ * ~  
When Coleman had visited Kyle’s apartment a few weeks earlier, she had provided him with a secure cell phone. The two of them had exchanged a few phone calls and text messages. Kyle had kept her updated on the jobs he had done for Vinnie Saldonna over the last few weeks. Primarily he had helped on the collection of cash from a few drug runs, the goons did the work, Kyle was making sure no one had sticky fingers. His work for Vinnie ranged from counting cash to just being along for the ride; he never knew from job to job what he would have to do.

He was aware that Coleman was planning to stop by for a visit. She texted him and said that she wanted a face-to-face discussion about some of the jobs and needed details that he wasn’t going into in text messages or on the phone. He paced around the apartment, just waiting for her to knock on the door. He hated talking to her, fearful that someone would see him with her and there would be no way to play it off that she was a girlfriend or a hooker. Coleman didn’t look like a hooker, and the body language between the two of them clearly indicated he had no interest in having her as a girlfriend.

Since Sabrina had been home recently, he had the video equipment out. Matter of fact, he had been up all night watching her the evening before. So, when he knew there would be a chance he would have a visitor, he had packed it all up, not wanting to have to explain anything to Coleman about his extracurricular activities. He had been tipped off that Sabrina was back home at the apartment, which is why he had the equipment out. She had come home almost two weeks ago with bags; he thought she looked like she had been on vacation. He was delighted to see she was coming home nightly, making dinner, doing a little work, and then going to bed. He was even happier to notice that she was doing this alone, no sign of the boyfriend, so he was hoping that meant he was out of the picture. That was the real reason he didn’t want to get the money from her earlier; he wanted to opportunity to see her at the gala all dressed up. Maybe he could have a chance to dance with her and sweep her off her feet; it was a long shot, but it was worth a try.

He was brought of his thoughts by sharp banging on the door. He walked over and flung the door open, but when he did, he realized it wasn’t Coleman on the other side, it was Vinnie Saldonna. Vinnie stood about 6’3 and was almost as wide as he was tall, his dark hair slicked back, his dark eyes had no soul. He was an intimidating figure. The big man pushed his way into the apartment, closely followed by two of his bodyguard goons. He said nothing as he looked around the sparse dwelling, he walked over to the kitchen table, pulling out a seat and making himself comfortable. Kyle noticed it was practically the same place Coleman had sat when she first visited his apartment as well.

Vinnie finally turned to lock eyes with Kyle and spoke, “We need to have a little chat, Chapman. Pull up a chair and have a seat.”

Kyle knew that wasn’t as much of a request for a discussion as it was an order. The bodyguards evidently didn’t think he was moving quick enough, they pulled out a chair and forcibly pushed him to sit directly across from Vinnie. Kyle tried not to look worried, but he wasn’t sure he could hide that fear so quickly.

Vinnie’s voice was gruff as he began to speak, “The Feds have been snooping around my operation for years, Chapman. But lately, their activity has increased. Word on the street is that someone is talking to them, feeding them information, the problem is, I don’t know who it is.” Vinnie leaned forward, smirking and patting Kyle’s knee, “See, the thing is, some of the information the Feds got right now, anyone could be giving it to them. Nothing they got tells me who my traitor is, so I have to personally visit everyone and deliver my message.”

Kyle swallowed hard; he didn’t like the tone of Vinnie’s voice or his smirk. He also didn’t like the fact, that at any moment, Special Agent Coleman could knock on his door. Not what he needed right now, fuck, he prayed she wasn’t going to show up. He hoped that as he talked, his voice would not betray him, “I’m not talking, Vinnie. Look, I owe you, that wouldn’t be a good way for me to repay you now, would it?”

Vinnie’s smirk turned into a full out smile, and it was hard to believe, but it made him even creepier looking. Now Vinnie reached up, gently slapping Kyle’s cheek, “You’re damn right, Chapman, it wouldn’t be a good way to repay my kindness. Just so you and I are clear on something, if I found out you’re the one talking, it’ll be the last thing you’re doing. Do you understand?” Kyle slowly nodded his head to acknowledge what Vinnie was saying. “Just know if you’re talking, I’ll find out, I’ve got my ways.”

Vinnie stood up, and the bodyguards kept their hands on Kyle’s shoulders to hold him in his chair. As Vinnie approached the door, he turned, looking back at Kyle, “You’ve been doing real good at paying off your debt, Chapman. Don’t fuck this up now,” Vinnie opened the door and walked out, his bodyguards letting go of Kyle’s shoulders, followed Saldonna out of the apartment.

Kyle slumped over in the chair; he was sweating profusely. He glanced over, his front door standing wide open, Special Agent Coleman walking up. Panic set into his eyes, there is no way she did not walk right past Saldonna. And there is no way he would not realize she was a cop of some sort. Fuck, he was a dead man! He jumped out of his seat, ran towards Coleman, grabbing her hand, pulling her into the apartment and slammed the door.

She stared at him with utter disbelief, the fact that he had his hands on her and pulled her into the apartment with force, “What the hell was that all about?” She forgot all about protocol or decorum, and when she was angry, her southern drawl becomes a bit more pronounced.

“What? Are you telling me you didn’t see him?”

A faint smile crossed her lips, and a light of recognition flared in her eyes, “Oh, you think Saldonna saw me and would know I’m FBI, right? Calm down, Chapman. I realize you think I’m an idiot but I was aware he was in the building, and I’ve been lying low. I wasn’t about to burn your ass when I need you.”

He shook his head like he didn’t understand what she was saying to him, “What? How did you know he was here? Do you have ears in this place?”

“Kyle,” it was one of the rare times she used his first name, she had always just called him Chapman. “I don’t have ears in this place, but I’ve told you before I’ve got eyes on you. They said Saldonna had shown up when I arrived, so I knew I had to stay out of the way until they were gone. I had someplace to lay low here in the building, the boys downstairs texted me when they saw Saldonna walk out, so I knew it was safe to come to you.” She tried to gauge his expression; he was still looking a little worried. Whatever Saldonna wanted, it had Chapman freaked out, “So, what exactly did Vinnie want? You seem a little shaken. Tell me what’s going on.”

The worry in his eyes suddenly changed and he began staring at her incredulously, “Coleman, are you fucking serious? You have no idea why he was here? News flash, Saldonna thinks I’m feeding information to the FBI.”

“Well, you are,” she fired back at him, there was no sarcasm or emotion in her voice; she was matter-of-fact.

“Damn it!” He walked away from her and moved to the couch where he plopped down. His hands flew to his face; he was struggling to maintain composure. He finally threw his hands down and stared up at the FBI Agent who was standing in front of him, her hands on her hips, looking at him with a stern expression her face. “He knows that someone is feeding information to the Feds, he said that based on what the Feds know now, he couldn't tell who is doing it. So, he is personally delivering messages to people to let them know he is watching them. He was sending the message that he will kill whoever is talking.”

“So, he must have someone on the inside who knows there is an informant,” Coleman theorized as she walked toward the window.

“I don’t know; he didn’t say. But he told me not to fuck things up, now. So I’m pretty sure he thinks it’s me. I’m a walking dead man,” the sweat was beading on Kyle’s forehead.

“I want you to do one more thing for me Chapman, but it’s big,” Coleman turned around to face him, she could see he wasn’t looking overly excited at the prospect. “The next time you have a meeting with him, the next big planned event, I want you to wear a wire.”

Kyle jumped off the couch, “No fucking way!”

“Look, we have a device you can wear that he’ll never know you have it on. Do this, and you’re out, I stop the investigation into all your buildings and your illegal activity. Including the research into whatever shit you are pulling with your ex-wife.”

Kyle blanched, he had no idea Coleman was pursuing anything in regards to Sabrina. He didn’t know if this was something she was doing or just a tactic to get him to go along with her.

“I see that got your attention,” Coleman spat at him and if she was honest with herself, she was enjoying that. “I told you that I thought there was something you were hiding. And with that reaction, I’d say I was spot on.”

“You’re a bitch, Coleman; you know that?”

“Yeah, I know,” she was apparently wearing that as a badge of honor. “Look, you’ve been able to confirm things for us that we suspected but couldn’t prove. Your information has been valuable, whether Saldonna realizes that or not. You’re not our only informant; we have other intel, we know of other things he has planned. I’ll venture to guess there are things you don’t even know about.”

“I’m sure; I’m not a made man in his organization. I’m a low-level guy he gets to do shit so I can pay off what I owe him.”

“Right, well, you know enough to be helpful. Low-level or not, we take what we can get to bring the bastard down,” Coleman pushed past him and began walking towards the door. “I’d like to mic you up for your next encounter with your regular contacts, get you used to the device. That way you are comfortable with it when you are wearing it in front of Saldonna. Think you could do that?”

Kyle shook his head; he hated this idea, but he knew there was no way out of it. “Fine, whatever!”

“That’s the spirit, Chapman,” she laughed as she exited the apartment, “I’ll be in touch.”

~ * ~  
Sabrina was in her office, the gala was in three days, and she had not even thought about her dress yet. She had been so wrapped up in worrying about the logistics of Kyle and Chris that she almost forgot about the party itself. She was not looking forward to being the center of attention for the evening, all eyes on her, meaning all eyes on Chris, too. This would be their official ‘coming out’ party as a couple. She knew that it wouldn’t take long for photographs of the two of them to make their rounds on the internet. This meant she had to find the perfect dress. Great, just what she needed, extra stress and pressure for the evening.

Alice knocked gently on the door as she pushed it open, “Sabrina, I have a delivery for you.” As she entered the office, she carried a large white box, wrapped with a blue bow. Alice sat the box on the coffee table in front of the couch, “I thought you might want to open it right away. There is a card on top, but I did not open it.”

Sabrina stood from her desk, eyeing the box cautiously, “Thanks, Alice. Why don’t you stay in here with me when I open it? I’m sure you’re just as curious as I am,” she let out an impish laugh. She walked around to the seating area, never taking her eyes off the box. She plucked the card off of the top, gently removing it from the envelope and reading it aloud, “I hope you don’t mind, I asked my stylist to help find the perfect dress for your big night. I figured with your busy work schedule; you haven’t had a chance to go shopping. Plus, this way I know you’ll coordinate with my tux! See you Friday night, Chris.”

“Oh, how romantic is that?” Alice commented, placing her hand on her heart, “Handsome and charming, how delightful.”

Sabrina had to smile, not only at the card but Alice’s reaction as well. “Yeah, he’s perfect, isn’t he?” She stepped forward and carefully removed the bow from the box. She took a deep breath and lifted the box lid; her breath caught in her throat as she caught sight of the dress. The dress was a sparkling, midnight blue Elie Saab gown. As she lifted it out of the box, she realized it was strapless, and the skirt became sheer as it descended her legs. It was exquisite, and she could not wait to wear it. The box even had a pair of blue strappy heels to match the dress; the stylist had thought of everything.

“Sabrina, the dress is divine. You must try it on, please, go try it on so we know that it fits,” Alice was begging.

She scooped everything up and ran off to the bathroom, emerging a few moments later wearing the gown and shoes. Tears glistening her eyes, “How does it look?”

“Wow! You look beautiful, and you will knock them all off their feet on Saturday night!”

Sabrina quickly changed her clothes and walked back into her office. Alice had retreated to her desk. Sabrina placed the shoes back in the box and gently folded the dress, placing it back in the box and returning the lid. She then called Chris, knowing she would have to leave him a voice mail. She listened to his sexy voice mail greeting, at the tone she left him a message, “Hey handsome, I got your delivery today. Your stylist is a genius, and I love it! I can’t wait to see you, has your schedule changed at all? Talk to you soon, love you.”

She had just put her cell back on her desk and settled into her chair when her office phone rang. It was her private number, meaning that the call did not go through Alice. The person would have received the number from her, “Hello, this is Sabrina,” she answered.

There was silence for a moment before the voice returned the greeting, “Hi Sabrina, it’s Audrey.”

Sabrina sat up straight in her chair; this wasn’t a call she was expecting. It has been almost a month since her collapse, and the last time she had talked to Audrey. “Um, Hi, Audrey, how are you?”

“I’m not calling at a bad time, am I? I can call some other time, I mean if you’re busy,” she was nervous to make this call. It seemed so odd to have that feeling, after all, this was once her best friend and closest confidant. But after everything that had happened, the words that had been spoken, this wasn’t so easy.

“No, you’re fine. I could use a break,” Sabrina offered politely.

“To answer your question, I’m doing good. How are you doing? Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, I’m doing so much better. I promoted George Tate, and he’s been able to take some pressure off. I’ve stopped sleeping at the office, too.”

“That’s good to hear. George was going to be one of my recommendations. Good choice, I think he’ll do well for you,” the conversation was strained, neither one of them were opening up too much. Audrey decided to go ahead and venture into the minefield, “How are things with Chris?”

“Are you sure you want to discuss this, Audrey? I know you’re trying to build a bridge, I want to be respectful.”

“I lost my friendship with him, did he tell you? I was honest with him, told him how I felt. I don’t know what I was trying to accomplish by doing it,” she sighed heavily, she was at least coming clean with Sabrina. “It doesn’t hurt so much, at least not anymore. Are you happy?”

“I didn’t know, Audrey, he didn’t tell me. We didn’t talk much about what led up to my collapse. We did talk about my reluctance for a relationship, that I’m not very good at opening myself up. But we’re giving it an honest effort, and yeah, I’m happy,” she felt guilty for saying it, knowing it was probably hard for Audrey to hear. “How are things with you and Gunnar?”

“We’ve tried to keep it professional only, but there is an attraction, we both feel it. He’s taking me to dinner tomorrow night.”

“I hope it works for you, Audrey. You deserve it. The rest of this week is hectic, and I have that architectural gala on Saturday, but maybe we could have lunch next week if you’re up to it. Maybe we can try to move past what happened if you want?” Sabrina was taking a leap, but she figured if Audrey had called, there was a chance this is what she was wanting.

“I’d like that, why don’t you give me a call next week. Good luck at the gala, I can’t wait to hear about it.”

As Sabrina hung up the phone, it made her happy to realize that there was an opportunity for the two of them to repair their friendship. She elected not to tell Chris, though. After all, he was keeping it from her that his friendship with Audrey had ended. She thought it was best not to broach the subject, at least not yet.

~ * ~  
The filming for the day was over; Chris was exhausted. All he could think about was a hot shower and crawling into bed. As he got in the car for Josh to drive him back to the hotel, he noticed his light flashing on his cell phone; he had a voice mail message. He quickly listened to it and smiled as he heard Sabrina thank him for the dress. He let out a slight chuckle as he hung up the phone.

“I take it the dress was delivered?” Josh inquired, eyebrows raised as he glanced over at his passenger.

“Yeah, she loves it. I can’t wait to see her in it,” Chris responded.

“You mean you can’t wait to get her out of it?”

“Well, that too! I won’t lie. I miss her, Josh, it’s not just the fact that I can’t see her, it’s the fact I can’t even have a regular conversation with her,” he exhaled and looked out the window at the night sky. “I will be so happy when I can get this movie wrapped and get back to her. Fuck, I sound like a lovesick puppy don’t I?”

“Yeah, but it’s good to see you like this. It’s been a while, and I’m glad you’re happy.”

As Josh pulled in front of the hotel, Chris got out, thanked him for the ride and went up to his room. Before taking his shower, figuring he might need it after the call, he dialed Sabrina’s number.

“Hey, baby, how are you?” She sounded so perky and chipper as she answered the phone.

“Exhausted but happy to hear your voice. I got your voice mail, I’m glad you like the dress,” he smiled, hoping she could hear it through the phone.

“Like it? I love it; it fits beautifully by the way. Alice was very jealous. Please tell me you’re calling to tell me when you’re coming to see me?”

“I am. My flight gets in on Friday night at 10:17. You gonna meet me at the airport?”

“No, because I might get arrested for ripping your clothes off in the terminal. I think they frown on that, Chris. Plus, your publicist might be a little angry at you for it,” she was having a hard time controlling her laughter at this point.

“Yeah, you have a point. So, I’ll just meet you at the apartment, then?” He asked quietly.

“I’ll have a car for you, and yeah, I’ll bring you to the apartment. How long are you going to stay in town?”

“I’ll be in Chicago until Tuesday morning, then I have to fly out to Dallas where I’m working on another project,” he grew quiet for a moment. He knew that his answer was bouncing in her head and she was thinking too much about it. “Get out of your head, baby, don’t work yourself up before I even get home.”

“Yeah, I know, I can’t help it. I’ll be glad to have you closer to Chicago, though.”

“Me too, I promise, we will make time to see one another more often. Okay, I’m gonna go take a shower and go to bed, I miss you.”

“I miss you, too. Dream about me,” she said playfully.

“You know I do, baby. Love you,” he replied as he disconnected the call. He could not wait to get back to Chicago and show her just how much he missed her.

 


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter is NSFW and marked as 18+ since it has adult content. If you are offended by sexual material, please skip this chapter.

Special Agent Cherie Coleman had been reading through the transcripts provided by the device worn by Kyle Chapman over the last few days. He had been called out on several jobs for Saldonna, and as requested, had worn the wire that Coleman had provided. It was a micro recording device that he snapped on the back of his watch, it looked just like the battery backing, so no one was the wiser. No wires, and if anyone patted him down, they saw nothing out of place.

As she read through the transcripts, Coleman came to realize something, Chapman forgot very quickly that he was wearing it. Not only that, the man was very comfortable with lying. She didn’t like him when his file had been placed on her desk, but after reading these transcripts, she really hated him.

The only positive she had from what she was being forced to read was the fact that there was a big deal coming up over the weekend. It could be what she needed to finally put Saldonna away, once and for all. She just prayed Chapman could deliver.

~ * ~  
The clock on the wall was moving entirely too slow. Of course, Sabrina was staring at it, so that wasn’t helping. For a minute she thought it had actually stopped moving altogether; she thought maybe the batteries had died. Checking her watch, she realized the clock was working; time was just not moving as fast as she would like. It was Friday afternoon, Chris would be arriving in eight hours. There was no way she could concentrate, her mind was on him and what she wanted to do when he got home.

Alice entered her office, knocking gently as she walked in, “Ma’am, I’ve got Mr. Iber on the phone, he would like to speak with you regarding the Hawaiian deal. He also has a new project to discuss. Should I get Mr. Tate for you?”

“What line is the call on, Alice?”

“Line 4, ma'am.”

“Great, I’ll grab the call, please go ahead and send George this way,” she sincerely hoped that by taking the call, her mind would be occupied enough that it would keep her from dwelling on Chris. It worked, the call lasted a little more than two hours and set her off on a tangent that kept her busy for some time.

When she finally looked at the clock again, she was elated to realize it was after six and Chris would be home in a little more than four hours. She began to pack up her things to head home, but she realized she had not finalized her plans to meet up with Kyle. As much as she hated to do it, she needed to send him an email. Her personal laptop was still open, so she started to type.

Kyle:

I realize this email is late, and for that, I do apologize. We failed to confirm our arrangements for tomorrow evening and our exchange. The gala event starts at 7:00 pm and I will step out to meet you in front of the events center at 8:30 for the trade. I will, as promised, make the electronic transfer once I receive the card with the digital library and your notarized document.

Let me know if there is an issue with this arrangement.

With regards,  
Sabrina.

She closed the laptop, not waiting for a reply. She had asked her driver, on the way home, to go to the airport that evening to pick up Chris. Sabrina let him know she was leaving an envelope in the backseat for him, making sure the driver didn’t accidently remove it from the car after she exited. She gave him the flight information once he pulled into the parking garage, as well as a generous tip for the additional pickup. Thanking him, she stepped out of the car and moved toward the elevator to take her to her apartment.

As she entered the apartment, she immediately moved to close all of the blinds. She turned the night lights on in the kitchen so Chris could see when he came home. The envelope she left in the car had a key to the apartment as well as a key for the elevator. She knew that he would be coming in through the parking garage so he wouldn’t have to worry about the security desk or anyone seeing him in the lobby. The note in the envelope would explain all of that. She was careful for him, this was not about hiding him because of embarrassment, but working to keep them as private as possible, for their own benefit.

As Sabrina moved upstairs, she closed the blinds in the bedroom and turned the bedside lamp on low, then turned down the covers on the bed. She entered the bathroom and changed into a baby doll nightgown. She thought she would lie down and take a brief nap, figuring she would wake up on time and be ready for him when arrived home. Unfortunately, she forgot to set the alarm on her cell before her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.

Chris quietly opened the door to the apartment, he checked his watch, it was 11:15. He had not tried to call Sabrina, he figured she would have fallen asleep. The stillness of the apartment let him know he was right. He carried his bag up the steps, and as he got to the bedroom door, his heart stopped. He sat his bag down, crossed his arms and leaned against the door jamb, just watching Sabrina as she slept. She looked so peaceful and beautiful curled up on the bed, her hands together as if she was praying but resting under her head. He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of her, he couldn’t resist.

Chris slid his phone back into his jeans pocket, picked up his bag and entered the bedroom. He walked over to the chair in the corner, toeing off his shoes, he then undressed and folded his clothes, placing them on the chair. He grabbed his phone out of his pocket, heading back towards the bed, sliding in beside Sabrina, being careful not to disturb her. He placed his phone on the nightstand then turned the light off, plunging the room into darkness. He pulled the covers up, then moved so he was close to Sabrina. He could see her face thanks to the filtered moonlight through the blinds. He gently kissed her lips, then closed his eyes to attempt to sleep. He felt the bed shift, Sabrina had cuddled up to him, snaking her arms around him and putting her leg up on his hip to push her body as close to him as possible.

She began kissing up his neck and across his jawline, “Hi, baby,” she whispered, her voice heavy with sleep.

Chris moved his hands up under her nightgown, feeling her soft skin. Her body was burning with his touch, he couldn’t get enough. He finally lifted the nightgown over her head, tossing it to the floor, pressing her bare chest against his. He missed this, their lips came together, their tongues wrestling one another; lavishing each other with deep, wet, and sensual kisses. His hands, moving up her legs, cupping her ass, pulling her closer to him. Each of them moaning with pleasure through their kisses.

They broke the kiss only to breathe; catching their breath was difficult. Chris took control, carefully flipping Sabrina onto her back. He looked down at her, taking in her gorgeous eyes, the love that he could see looking back at him. “I missed you so much,” he murmured as he dipped his head to nibble at her ear and begin trailing kissing down her neck.

Her back arched, pushing her chest up into his, her hands trailing up and down the muscles of his back. “I missed you, too. I missed this,” her voice breathless with anticipation, “I need you, please, Chris.” He continued to place a trail of wet kissed down her body.He caressed her breasts, her nipples pebbling, and aching for attention. Chris didn’t disappoint. But her entire body was aching for him now, she wasn’t willing to wait any longer. “Chris, I need you inside me, right now,” she pleaded and tried pulling him up so she could kiss him.

He acquiesced, and she parted her legs without him having to prompt her to do so. He thrust himself into her at the same he crushed his lips against hers. She moaned into the kiss, it had taken her by surprise, but it was everything she had asked for. He didn’t move right away, she was tight, and he was enjoying the feeling. When he began to pull out and push back in, he made sure his strokes were slow and steady. He wanted to experience this for as long as possible; he had no desire to climax quickly and fall asleep. He had waited too long for this, just like she had, and by God, it was going to last.

Sabrina, however, wanted to fuck. She wanted to have him thrust into her quickly and hard. She enjoyed slow and loving, it had it’s own place and time. Right now, she had a carnal need for him. She pulled her legs up, wrapping them around his waist, moving her hands toward his lower back, “Chris, faster. I need you fuck me, please.”

His eyes snapped to hers, she was talking dirty, and it was a turn on. If it was possible, he was harder than he was when he slid into her moments earlier. “Ha, you are a dirty girl, aren’t you?” She nodded, digging her nails into his ass while trying to pull him closer, “Ouch, babe, I got the message, put the claws away.” He stopped moving and slowly pulled out, situating himself, he pulled one of Sabrina’s legs straight up, resting it on his shoulder, giving him the perfect access. He knew she would love this, he would be able to hit just the right spot.

Once again, without warning, he pushed into her and began a steady pace of pumping in and out. Twisting his hips ever so slightly with each thrust. Sabrina grabbed at the bed sheets, balling the fabric in her fists, “Yes, that’s it, Chris. Just like that, don’t stop,” her voice was loud, reverberating through the bedroom. At that moment, he was so glad the bedroom was not on a wall adjacent to neighbors.

He could tell she was getting close, it wouldn’t be too much longer before she went over the cliff. He was not planning on following her, at least not yet. She felt so good, “Damn, Sabrina, you’re fucking tight.” No sooner did he get the words out, she clenched around him, he thrust harder. But when her climax squeezed around his thrusting cock, it wrenched his orgasm right out of him. He went right over the cliff with her.

He dropped her leg down, falling forward, bracing his arms on either side of her head. He was panting, so was she. Sweat dripping from brow, his hair sticking to his forehead. Sabrina reached up, pushing his hair to the side, “That was incredible, are you okay?”

He couldn’t talk, he just nodded and smiled. Once his breath evened out, he fell to the side of her, pulling her close to his body, hitching her leg over his hip. He was still buried inside of her, his cock twitching from the aftershocks. “If that is the welcome home I’m going to get every time I’m away for a few weeks, you will never visit me while I’m filming a movie. You got that?”

Sabrina started to laugh, “Got it!” She cupped his face in her hands, giving him a tender kiss, tugging on his bottom lip as she pulled away, “I love you and the way that sounds when I say it. I love you, Chris.”

“I love the way it sounds when you say it. And I love you too, Sabrina.”

The two held one another for a few minutes, no words were spoken. They basked in the afterglow until Sabrina made the decision that she was ready for tender, and she would be in control this time. She rolled Chris onto his back; she could feel him getting hard again.

“What are you doing?” He asked playfully.

“I’m going to have my way with my boyfriend. Then, we are going to snuggle together and sleep through the morning. Does that sound like a plan to you?”

He laughed, “I like that you have a plan, my lady. Please, by all means, have your way with me.”

~ * ~ Saturday Afternoon ~ * ~

Sabrina had offered up the bathroom to Chris first, allowing him to get ready for the gala before she started to prepare. He wouldn’t take as long, plus this gave her an opportunity to check her email without fear of him looking over her shoulder. She was curious if Kyle had responded to her note from the previous evening regarding the exchange time and location. She was starting to get nervous, the whole idea of seeing him again was making her feel queasy. She didn’t know how she would be able to slip away without Chris noticing, but she would have to find an excuse and make it seem entirely plausible.

As she heard the water for the shower, she opened her laptop, firing up her email program. As she expected, an email from Kyle was waiting in her inbox. She didn’t want to click on it, but she had no choice, it was T-minus 4 hours for the exchange time, there was no backing out now.

My dearest Sabrina,

Your plan for the exchange will work just fine. I’ll meet you outside at 8:30 with the SD card and the notarized document. I can’t wait to see you, I have been counting down the days.

You husband,  
With love,  
Kyle

She had to hold back the bile that was wanting to come up her throat. It was going to take every ounce of control to face him, but it would be worth it to bring this nightmare to an end. She closed her laptop, gathered her things and tried to shift her focus to the gala and the handsome date who was currently naked in her shower.

Sabrina was lost in thoughts about Chris. She was not only thinking of him being in the shower right now, but she replayed the memories of their lovemaking the night before. How right now their relationship was working, and she could not be any happier. She was so lost, she didn’t see him step out of the bathroom, towel slung low across his hips, arms crossed and leaning against the wall in front of her.

She jumped when she heard him speak, “Whatcha thinking about, baby?”

A smile spread across her face as she took him in, her eyes looking him over from top to bottom. “You, and how I can’t wait to see you in your fancy suit and make every woman at the gala jealous because you are mine.” She took a few steps forward, wrapping her arms around him. He enveloped her in his arms, pressing his lips to hers and making her practically melt, “You know, if you keep that up, I may just tell you we need to skip the gala, altogether.”

He started to laugh at her comment, “You are being honored tonight, we aren’t skipping this,” he pulled back and then swatted her behind. “Now, go get ready!”

Chris had gotten ready, taking himself downstairs to wait for Sabrina. His stylist had sent him his blue Brunello Cucinelli tuxedo that he had worn to the 2016 Golden Globes. That tux had awarded him quite a bit of attention, and it would match Sabrina’s dress beautifully. She was going to have to help him with his tie, but he didn’t think she would mind.

He had poured himself a drink, wanting to calm his nerves. He had not taken the time to admit to Sabrina that he was nervous about their debut as a couple at this event. There wouldn’t be the usual paparazzi at this event, but you could expect that someone would snap a photo and it would hit the internet. His team already knew about him attending this event, and they were prepared. He had come to clean to his mom, letting her know he was seeing someone, that it wasn’t serious but he did like her. He wasn’t ready to go into the details with her. The only person in his family who knew the truth was Scott.

Chris was standing at the bar, looking out at the windows, even though the blinds were still down. His back was to the stairway, so when he heard Sabrina clear her throat to announce she was coming down the stairs, he turned slowly to take her in. He was stunned, she was absolutely breathtaking. His eyes followed her down the stairs, taking in the way the dress moved on her body. He knew this dress was beautiful, but seeing it on her, that word did not do it justice.

“How do I look?” She asked sheepishly, never breaking eye contact with Chris.

For a minute, he couldn’t respond, he just looked at her with adoring eyes. Finally, he choked out the words, “Stunning, you are absolutely stunning.”

She took several steps forward, reaching out to fix his tie. “Your tie is crooked, you know? Can’t have you showing up, looking this gorgeous, having a crooked tie,” she fiddled with the tie for a few minutes and then smoothed out his shoulders. “Damn, you look good. It will be a shame to wad this tux up on the floor later,” she winked and turned to walk back toward the foyer table where her clutch was sitting. He watched her, mouth wide open. “Are you ready, Chris?”

His head snapped out of the delicious thoughts he was having. This woman surprised him in so many ways, “Yes, baby, I’m ready.”

They took the elevator down to the limo, Sabrina was visibly nervous, although she was trying desperately to hide it. Chris squeezed her hand, trying to show her some support. Honestly, it was helping to calm his own jitters as well. The drive to Navy Pier would be short, there would be no time to find a way to relieve tension in the car before getting to the gala.

Sabrina stepped into the car first. When Chris got in, he immediately put his arm around her, pulling her to his side, “I know you’re nervous. Take a few deep breaths, it’ll be okay. If you’re too concerned about us walking in together, I’m willing to walk in separately. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, or push you into this if you’re not ready for it.”

Sabrina turned her head, pressing her lips against his neck, “I’m more worried about the accolades and the attention for the award than I am for walking in with you. Although, I’m sure I’ll have to beat some women off of you, so maybe I’ll get arrested before the award presentation anyway.”

Chris tossed his head back, his right arm clutching his chest as he laughed heartily, “Oh, that is a great thought, babe. Watching you get hauled out of there in handcuffs for beating down your fellow architects. That will make fantastic headlines in the paper tomorrow morning.”

“Well, it would replace all the articles about me collapsing at the groundbreaking, wouldn’t it?” She asked wryly.

The car came to a stop, the attendants at the event center came to open the limo door for them to exit. Chris leaned over, giving Sabrina a sweet kiss, “You can do this,” he encouraged her and then stepped out of the car. He then turned back toward the car, offering his hand and helping her step out.

There were no flashing cameras, no red carpet, no concerns for either one of them. But it didn’t mean their hearts weren’t racing. Chris eased his arm around her waist, guiding her toward the main entrance. It did not go unnoticed by him that they were turning heads as they entered the gala. He knew it was because Sabrina looked amazing. She was glowing, the dress fits her perfectly, and she was the star of the evening.

As they walked into the Grand Ballroom, Chris was taken aback by the enormity of the room. He had seen the building from the outside numerous times, but he had no idea how large the facility was inside. The domed ceiling was lined with white lights, while the rest of the room was bathed in the soft glow of candlelight. There was a small chamber orchestra playing on the stage, where the evening’s events would take place later. Servers were walking through the crowd with trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres to allow for mingling. Although, there was a bar set up as well as tables for those who wanted to get their appetizers and take a seat.

Chris and Sabrina caught a drink from a passing tray and began to work the crowd. She didn’t like this aspect of gala events, being social and friendly was not in her wheelhouse. But at least this evening, she had Chris with her, and he could ease the tension or become the center of the conversation. It was equal measure as far as who recognized him and who didn’t.

In the middle of conversing with the developer from Boston, the one she missed the RFI for his latest project, Sabrina caught a glimpse of someone walking through the main doors and her heart stopped. She tried to shake her mind free, go back to listening to the developer and anticipate that she imagined things. But a few moments later, when he smiled and nodded his head at her, she knew she this was not the product of an overactive imagination. Her body tensed, she was sure Chris noticed.

Sabrina set her glass on a nearby table. She leaned into Chris, whispering into his ear, “Excuse me, baby, I need to go to the ladies room. Don’t miss me too much.” Placing a soft kiss on his cheek, she began to walk off.

She walked with purpose, hoping he wasn’t keeping his eye on her as she approached the man who had caught her attention. She grabbed his arm, her fingers digging into his bicep, “Outside, right now!” Her voice was firm, the fire in her eyes made it clear she was serious. She began to walk, pulling him along with her.

Chris watched this unfold in front of him; who was the man and why was Sabrina yanking him out of the gala? He walked towards the large cathedral windows, just in time to see Sabrina and the man exit the party into the evening air. They had stopped in between two of the street lamps, meaning they were in the shadows but there was still enough light for Chris to clearly see the anger in her eyes.

“What the fuck were you doing in the party?” Sabrina asked through gritted teeth.

Kyle smirked, he had to admit that the rage in her eyes and the dominance she was showing at the moment, was a complete turn on. While he liked being in control over Sabrina, this side of her was sexy, he wished she had shown this from time to time when they were together. “You didn’t think I was going to miss seeing my wife get this big honor now, did y ou? Besides, baby, if you had been paying attention, I told you I’d b here. You keep getting more beautiful every time I see you,” he reached up to caress her face, she visibly shuddered at his touch, “Don’t be that way, baby. You know I’ve lived with the regret of raising my hand to you all those years ago.”

“You never loved me, Kyle. Let’s just be clear once and for all, you just liked the idea of my name and my legacy. If you loved me, you wouldn’t have been abusive and you sure as fuck wouldn’t be blackmailing me for the last ten years,” she was having a hard time keeping her voice down, but she wanted him to know she was not backing off. She just didn’t want to draw too much attention to the two of them and certainly didn’t want anyone overhearing their conversation.

“Blackmail is such an ugly term, Sabrina. I prefer to think that you have just been paying security fees,” he let out a harsh and sadistic little laugh, “And since you never went to the police, you have no proof that I ever abused you, so good luck ever convincing anyone of that shit now.”

“How the hell did you get into the party anyway?”

A grin broke out across his face, “Well, I am still a member of the National Architectural Society, you know? I get an invitation to this damn event every year, I generally don’t bother attending. But when I saw it was in Chicago this year, and they were going to honor you, well let’s just say I knew I wasn’t passing up this party for anything! Great dress choice by the way. You look stunning, every man in that room is going to want to fuck you.”

His words turned her stomach, he always had a way of being blunt and vulgar. She needed to maintain control, not letting him know he was getting under her skin. “They let you keep your membership? Wow, I figured they’d have pulled it you killed a hundred people and got demoted to a Junior Architect,” she spat at him, hoping the words would sting just a little. She was feeling brave, something that she didn’t usually feel when interacting with Kyle Chapman.

“You best watch yourself, after all, you haven’t gotten what you want yet. And after seeing who you’re here with, well, I’ve decided your price has gone up,” he spat back at her, watching as the recognition of his words hit her. The color drained from her face, her bravery seeming to dissipate, “See, I now realize who the Chris Evans was in the pictures. It’s a relatively common name you know, so I didn’t know that I actually had naked photos of you fucking a Marvel superhero.”

“What do you want, Kyle?” Her voice didn’t break, although she was trying to keep fear from overtaking her. How did he even know that the man in the pictures was named Chris? This meant that someone had tipped him off as to who was in her apartment, someone was helping Kyle in his blackmail and torture of her.

He slid his arm around her waist, pulled her a little closer so he could whisper in her ear, “You’re mind is reeling right now, isn’t it? You want to know who else is betraying you? I’ll never tell,” he licked the side of her face and stepped back, a wicked and maniacal grin on his face. He crossed his arm, speaking matter of factly, “I think ten million seems fair, don’t you?”

“What? Are you kidding? We agreed on a price already, Kyle. You can’t suddenly change the terms of the deal. And you know I don’t have ten million dollars!” Her voice was now starting to get a little louder.

“It’s my deal, and I can change the terms when I want. After all, you left out the details of who you were fucking, sweetie. So, you don’t get a say in this. Oh, you have more money than you want me to know about, but if you don’t want to pay it all, I’m sure he will. Maybe I just need to go back in there and have a chat with him. Give him the scoop on the type of woman you really are. Does he know about your past?”

That was the final straw for Sabrina, she had been pushed too far. She reached up for the lapels of the tuxedo he was wearing, it wasn’t anything close to the quality of the one Chris was wearing. She pushed him against the post of the street light, her voice was firm and loud, “You bastard, I’m telling you right now, if you go back into that party and go anywhere near him, I’ll fucking kill you. Do you understand me? I’m not playing around Kyle, you leave him the fuck alone, and don’t breathe a word to him about any of this.”

For once, Kyle had a tinge of fear in his eyes. The rage in Sabrina’s eyes was more than he had ever seen. For a moment, he actually believed she could be pushed, he let out a nervous laugh, “You are all talk, you don’t have the balls to kill me.”

“Test me, Kyle, I dare you!” She let go of him and turned to walk back into the gala. It was then that she noticed several people standing and watching her. They had evidently stopped to witness the entire interaction with Kyle, she wasn’t sure what they heard, she hoped the sound of the water sloshing against the pier or the sounds of the Ferris Wheel, were enough to drown out her threat.  
She didn’t acknowledge them. Instead, she walked right past them and through the doors into the ballroom.

Chris left his spot at the window where he had witnessed her interaction with the man on the pier. He was concerned, he knew the conversation was heated. He couldn’t hear anything that was being said but by the body language and then by her physically moving him into the street light, he knew it was not good. Apparently, she was keeping something from him, and he needed to know what it was. He took a spot in the middle of the room, and she was soon walking toward him, he stiffened, he didn’t offer her a warm welcome as she returned to him.

“Sorry I took so long,” she offered, “I ran into someone I used to know.” She wasn’t lying to him, she just wasn’t telling him the entire truth. She noticed the coldness in Chris’ eyes and the fact that he did not offer her an embrace or even slide his arm around her waist. “What’s wrong, baby?”

It had taken a minute before he was willing to spit out an answer, “Who was he? The conversation did not look like a pleasant one, so who was he?” Sabrina’s breath hitched in her throat. She was not prepared to hear that Chris had seen her confrontation with Kyle. She didn’t respond, the words could not form. “Think before you speak, Sabrina because you better not lie to me. Who was that man?”

She swallowed hard, pulled her shoulders back, and attempted to put a look of determination in her eyes, “Not now, Chris, and definitely not here. The dinner and awards presentation is about to start, and I’m not fighting with you before I have to walk on that stage.” She began to walk toward their table, ignoring the heat and anger he was putting off.

Chris reached out, grabbing her wrist, a motion to stop her but not one that would draw attention from anyone else at the event. “At least tell me his name. You owe me that at least, right?”

She didn’t turn her head, but she did respond softly, “His name is Kyle Chapman.”

Chris followed her to their table to dinner, the tension was thick. Throughout dinner they barely spoke to one another, Sabrina kept scanning the room to see if Kyle had come back into the party. So far, no sign of him. The awards presentation began, there were only four awards to be given, and Sabrina knew that her’s would be the last one. She just had to sit through thirty minutes of this, and she could escape.

But she would be escaping back to the apartment where Chris would want to know the truth about Kyle. This was not going to be news that he would accept very easily. He had never asked her if she had been married before. Technically, she had not lied to him. She just omitted a section of her life and the reason why relationships are hard for her. Lost in her overanalyzing of how a conversation might go with Chris, she didn’t hear the introduction to her award or the announcement of her name to appear on stage. It was only when Chris leaned over to kiss her cheek and whisper in her ear, that she realized everyone was standing and she needed to move.

Sabrina somehow made it through her acceptance speech and off the stage. She was appropriately humble and gracious. She wanted to exit the party immediately. However, several of the board member for the gala had wanted a few minutes with her, and she could not refuse. Once the glad-handing was over, she threaded her fingers through Chris’ and whispered in his ear that she was ready to leave. The solemn look on his face made it clear that he was more than ready.

Chris said nothing as they walked from the event out to the string of cars to find their limousine. The grip he had on her hand made it abundantly clear that he was still angry. He let go of her hand as they approached their car and he stepped inside. The driver nodded at Sabrina, his greeting being unspoken because he could tell there was tension. As she stepped into the car, Chris started in on her immediately.

“Ok, we aren’t in the event, so tell me who he was,” for as angry as she anticipated him being, his voice was even and flat, “Who exactly is Kyle Chapman?” As the driver got in the car and heard Kyle’s name, he immediately put up the privacy screen before starting the car and taking them back to the apartment.

Sabrina was staring out the window, she was not going to be able to look him in the eyes when she said the words, “He’s my ex-husband.”


	22. Chapter 22

Chris had asked her point blank, “Who exactly is Kyle Chapman?” He felt as if she was hiding something, the fear in her eyes when she came walked away from him at the gala to go outside. The rattled nerves when she came back inside, although she was doing her best to hide it from him. He wasn’t blind, and he definitely wasn’t stupid, something was bothering her, and he wanted to know what it was. But as she stared out the window of the car, the words she spoke were not the ones he expected. He had not been prepared to hear, “He’s my ex-husband.”

Those words were crushing; he could barely breathe. It was as if every bit of oxygen had been sucked out of the car. He had never thought to ask Sabrina if she had been married before. He didn’t have an issue dating a woman who had been divorced. The issue was that she had never told him, she kept this a secret, even when they had the discussion of no lies or secrets between the two of them. And evidently, there was more to this than just a divorce, the exchange he had witnessed between the two of them was heated and angry.

The silence between the two of them was stifling; Sabrina broke first, “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“What would you like me to say?” He offered quietly, the words barely audible and again, there was no emotion in them. He was shutting down.

“I would expect you to yell or something,” she admitted, finally turning to look at him, “It’s what you want to do, isn’t it? You want to lash out at me with all the questions that are swirling through your mind.”

“How long have you been divorced?”

Sabrina was taken aback that this was the first question he would toss her way. She figured there were a million other issues that would come first, “Ten years, almost eleven.”

The car stopped, they had arrived in the parking garage of the Aqua building. Sabrina opened the door before the driver could and let herself out, she wanted to escape what felt like a prison. She didn’t wait for Chris, she walked toward the elevator and pressed the button. She silently cursed it for being slow, when in fact, it was one of the fastest elevators in the city. But when you want to escape, everything feels as if it is moving in slow motion.

Chris was suddenly behind her; she could feel the heat of his body. He didn’t touch her, didn’t say a word, he just stood there. She wanted nothing more than to turn around and kiss him, tell him she was sorry for not telling him about Kyle earlier. But she couldn’t, she was paralyzed. The seconds ticked by and felt like minutes. The doors opened to the elevator, and they stepped inside. The silence was beyond awkward, she wished he would yell at her, anything but the silence. Then again, she could speak up, but she didn’t know what to say or even how to say it.

She rushed out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened. Her keys were in her hand, and she deftly opened the door to the apartment, swinging it open far enough so that Chris could walk through without her having to hold it for him. She placed her clutch on the entryway table and stepped out of her heels. He had rushed past her to the kitchen where he was pouring himself a tall glass of whiskey, neat.

He downed the drink in one gulp, she knew it had to have burned on the way down. Most likely he didn’t even notice. The tension seemed to suddenly disappear from his shoulders. He poured another drink and took a seat on a bar stool, his arms stretched out in front of him, encircling his glass. Sabrina stood nervously at the other end of the kitchen, watching him, waiting for him to say something. Finally, he did.

“I’m going to guess you had an excellent reason for not telling me about Kyle? I mean, we discussed not having secrets and not lying to one another, right?” He raised his eyes, taking in the slight tremors in Sabrina’s hands. He didn’t know if the tremors were because she was scared of him or if the situation with Kyle had her scared. Either way, he needed to find out. Also, he wasn’t sure if she was going to answer his question, but he was going to give her a few minutes before he asked a second time.

“I’m not proud of the fact that I have a failed marriage under my belt. It’s not like I want to start a relationship with someone and tell him right off the bat that I’ve been divorced. It doesn’t really set the right tone, you know?” She dropped her gaze to the floor, willing herself to go on. “I thought he was wonderful when I married him. Thought he was the perfect guy for me and I would have the idyllic life. But it went terribly wrong, and I’ve had a hard time trusting myself in a relationship since then.”

“He’s the reason Audrey said you don’t do relationships? You’re afraid you’ll end up with another Kyle?” She slowly nodded her head in agreement. “What did he do that was so bad? Make me understand this, Sabrina, because right now I just can’t see why you didn’t tell me.”

“Kyle was handsome and attentive, always made me feel special. We were both architectural students, we had shared interests, and he was very encouraging because he knew I had my family’s name to overcome. And the fact that there weren’t a lot of opportunities for female architects,” she breathed a heavy sigh. Thinking back on those days has been particularly painful for her. The fact she was digging them up to break them down for Chris was even worse. “I really thought he was perfect. He asked me to marry him, and I jumped at the chance. But as I started to have success, he began to get jealous and hated that I would get accolades and he wouldn’t. He said everything came to be because of my name, that I had no talent. He began to get verbally abusive, his jealousy manifested into a rage, and that turned into verbal and emotional abuse.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me? All because his wife was becoming famous? Little dick syndrome sounds like to me,” Chris huffed.

Sabrina smiled and nodded, then continued, “The verbal and emotional abuse went on for a few months. Then one night, it went too far,” she stopped talking and noticed the grip Chris had on his glass was getting a little tighter. She was afraid he might break the glass and cut his hand if he wasn’t careful. “He flew into a rage one night, all over a project where my building design beat out the one he submitted. He yelled at me, and as his anger escalated, he backhanded me, sending me across the room. He came over and hit me a few more times, wanting to make sure I understood just how angry and betrayed he felt. He left several marks that I was able to conceal with makeup when I went to work. But during my lunch break, I filed for divorce. I stayed late at work, told him it was due to a project; I just didn’t want to be alone with him. The next day, while he was at work, I moved out of the house. He was served with the divorce papers at the office, and I went into hiding.”

“Wait a minute, you were that scared, but you didn’t have him arrested for domestic abuse?” Chris asked incredulously; he could not believe she let him get away with it, this was not what he had expected at all. “Sabrina, why didn’t you hold him accountable for what he did to you?”

“Because, there would have been too much press. My name would have been dragged through the mud, and I didn’t want that. I was the victim, Chris, but you know as well as I do, the media tries to find a reason to blame the victim. I didn’t want that, I just wanted him to go away. More importantly, I didn’t want what he did to me to have an impact, positive or negative, on my career. I wanted to move on with my life and forget that I had ever married him.”

“Please tell me you at least got therapy or talked to someone about what you went through?” He watched as his words hit her. The tremors became more pronounced, and she slowly shook her head. “Why? You’re an intelligent woman, but this makes no sense. I don’t get it, I swear I just don’t get it.”

“Of course you don’t,” she snapped; her voice was shaky, but her words were clear. “You’re a man, you wouldn’t understand the stares and the doubt. The constant struggle to get people to look past the fact that just because you don’t have a dangling appendage between your legs doesn’t mean you aren’t talented or smart. You add to that mix that you’ve been abused and you definitely have no chance for someone to look at you and give you a fair shot.” The tears were starting to slowly escape her eyes and trickle down her cheeks. She wished they wouldn’t, but she couldn’t control them. “If no one knows, they can’t judge me for it. It’s as simple as that.”

As Chris watched her start to crumble, he began to feel like a complete ass for pushing her. He got it now, he could see why she kept this quiet, why she had to work her way up to discussing it with him. And here he was, forcing her to talk about it and making her feel bad about it. He pushed himself away from the bar, slowly walking over to where she was standing. He held out his hand, reaching for her, as they took a step towards one another, she practically fell into his embrace.

Chris held her tight, smoothing her hair, “Oh sweetheart, I’m so sorry for upsetting you. I get it now, I do,” and he did, but he still didn’t like it. He continued to console her, rubbing her back and kissing her temple, “I feel horrible for how I acted, please forgive me.”

She pulled back, looking up into his striking blue eyes, she could see that he was sincere, there was a pain looking back at her. “I knew I needed to tell you, I just didn’t know how. We had our own issues, and I wasn’t ready to add this to the mix, I promise, I was going to tell you.”

“Ok,” he said as he pulled her back to him. He knew she was worried about the secrets and lies discussion and how this was going to impact the two of them. “I completely understand. Now that I know, it makes sense.”  
She sighed heavily, the weight was lifted that he was okay with the divorce. But, she had more to tell him, and he might not accept this as willingly, this part scared her, “There is something else I need to tell you about,” her voice trailed off, and she started to pull away from him.

He didn’t like the sound of this. He watched her for a minute; she looked just as fearful as she did when she started talking about Kyle in the first place. Chris took a step towards the bar, “How about we sit down for this discussion?” Sabrina nodded and began to walk toward the couch. “Do you need a drink?” He asked and watched as she shook her head in response to his question. “Ok, I have a feeling I’m going to need one, though.” He poured a glass of whiskey, taking a large sip then topped it off again and joined her on the couch.

Sabrina was seated at one end, her back against the arm of the sofa with her legs tucked up under her. Chris sat at the opposite end, facing her, watching intently so he could gauge emotions and reactions. It took several minutes before she could get the nerve to speak. Chris took this as a sign that whatever she had to say must be more serious than the fact that she is divorced and was abused. Although, for the life of him, he could not even begin to wrap his brain around what that could be.

“Kyle was furious that I filed for divorce. He threatened me, calling the office and my cell. He didn’t know where I was staying, and I took crazy routes home every night just to make sure I wasn’t being followed. He contested the divorce, he liked the idea of being married to a Burnham and being linked to my family. He didn’t care if the divorce got ugly, he knew I didn’t want the publicity, but he welcomed it. He was counting on me not filing a police report for the assault, even though I had medical records and everything I needed. It would have been public, and the scrutiny would have been more than I could stand. I would have gotten my divorce but it would have been in the full glare of the public, and it wouldn’t have been quiet.”

Sabrina looked down at her lap, she figured Chris was judging her all over again. While he was more than aware of the need for privacy for certain aspects of his life, she knew he had to question why she let Kyle get away with so much. She was also rethinking that need for a drink. She almost reached across the couch and took the glass out of Chris’ hand. It was as if he could sense what she was thinking because he leaned over, giving her his drink. She raised her eyes to meet his and smiled. Taking his glass, she took a small sip and gave the whiskey back to him.

“Eventually the two of you reached some sort of agreement, though, right? I mean, you got your divorce from him.”

Sabrina scoffed at him, “I wouldn’t say we had an agreement, but there was at least an understanding of sorts. I reached out to Kyle, asking what it would take to get him to just go away. I knew that deep down, Kyle was greedy, it was going to boil down to money for him. So, I asked, what was it going to take to get him to divorce me and get out of my life,” Sabrina wasn’t sure how to get these next words out. “I offered him a lump sum payment but he wasn’t interested, he wanted part of my family’s legacy. If he couldn’t have it by being married to me, he was willing to tear it down. He dropped the bomb that he had been recording the two of us having sex. All of our intimate moments when I thought we were still in love with one another, before the abuse, he recorded all of them and planned on releasing them.”

The vein on the side of Chris’ head was suddenly prominent with the anger that was coursing through his body. His face had turned crimson, and Sabrina was fairly sure his blood pressure was dangerously high. He downed the remaining whiskey in his glass and stood to go and refill the glass. He didn’t utter a single word. He did, however, slam his glass down on the granite countertop, “Fuck!” He finally exclaimed, “You’re telling me that motherfucker planned on releasing sex tapes to try and ruin your reputation? All because he abused you and you were brave enough to divorce his sorry ass?” He poured the whiskey, not bothering the cap the bottle since he knew he was going to down the glass and need to refill it almost immediately.

“It’s hard to believe, but it gets worse,” she offered quietly.

“Really? How can it be worse? Please, go on,” he offered as he raised his glass.

“He knew a few unsavory folks who would release the videos and help him market them. The fact that I was well known in certain circles, including political ones, would mean that they could make significant amounts of money off of them. Kyle offered to keep them out of the hands of these people if I agreed to pay a monthly maintenance fee to him for storing them away.

“So, he’s been extorting money? Blackmailing you for ten years to keep sex videos secret? Damn it, Sabrina! How in the hell could you let this go on?”

“I had no choice, Chris. I couldn’t risk losing the career I’ve worked so hard to get. I couldn’t lose it all over sex tapes! It would have been embarrassing and degrading, to say the least. Not to mention how hard it would be to get anyone to take me seriously for work going forward. We agreed on a set price, but after the building collapse, when he was desperate for money, he raised the fee substantially so he could pay off his lawyers,” she looked up at Chris, hoping he could see the pain and distress in her eyes. This was so much harder to talk about than she had anticipated. “I’ve been tempted to turn him in, I really have. But since I’ve been paying him for so long, I will just be viewed as a bigger fool. So, I’ve remained quiet.”

“Wait a minute, what building collapse are you talking about?”

“There was a building that Kyle was overseeing the construction on, this was right as our divorce was being finalized. Anyway, the building collapsed and killed around a hundred workers, about twenty or thirty more were hurt. It was a big story,” Sabrina was cut off by Chris as she was starting to get into the details.

“Holy shit, I remember that story! It was national news, they thought the project manager was skimming on the project and using inferior products. Am I thinking of the right thing?”

“Yeah, that’s the one. The architect and project manager was Kyle. He was arrested and charged with murder and put on trial. He had a mob lawyer, and he got off. But it cost him his job. He can’t get hired anywhere as a lead architect, he’s got a job in Austin as a junior architect. Every design and drawing he does have to go to a safety engineer for approval before it can be moved to the next level or be built. He has no idea that I know all of those details, but people talk and tell me things. No one wants to work with him, he’s poison. The firm that hired him has him on a short leash from what I hear.”

“And tonight? What was he doing at the gala?”

“I haven’t seen him in years. He has been stalking me lately, sending me cryptic messages to let me know he was in Chicago. Evidently, he is still a member of the Architectural Society, and he received an invitation to the event. I didn’t know he was going to be there and I was, as you can imagine, not happy to see him.” While she had been willing to give Chris details about Kyle and how he was blackmailing her; she was not prepared to go into detail with him regarding the most recent pictures. She was dealing with that and would handle it, Chris didn’t need to know. “I was trying to make it clear to him that I wanted him to leave and get out of my life stay away from me.”

“It’s a good thing I didn’t know about any of this before seeing him at the event. Because rest assured, I would have beat the ever-loving shit out of him.”

Sabrina stood from the couch, walking into the kitchen where Chris was still standing at the bar. She was still shaking and tentative, but she wrapped her arms around his waist and placed her head on his chest. Chris immediately folded his arms around her, enveloping her in an embrace for which he hoped she could feel safe.

“I know my actions disappoint you,” she whispered, “but I was doing the best I could to hold everything together. I didn’t know what else to do, and I didn’t want him to release the videos.”

“What did Audrey tell you to do?” Chris asked, figuring that her best friend had to have given her some advice to help her through the situation. His question was met with silence; Sabrina was not responding at all. He pulled back from her, looking into her face, “Sabrina, Audrey knew about this, didn’t she?”

Slowly, Sabrina began shaking her head, “I didn’t tell anyone. Not my divorce attorney and not Audrey. You’re the only person I’ve ever admitted it to,” as she said those words, the tears began to well in her eyes again. She could almost feel the disappointment that was building in Chris’ chest.

He exhaled heavily, “Wow! Seriously? You never told Audrey about this?” He sidestepped Sabrina and moved to the other side of the bar, taking a seat on one of the barstools.

“Audrey knew he hit me, I didn’t keep that from her. But I never told her about the blackmail. She never liked Kyle, her dislike for him grew after he put his hands on me. But if she knew he was blackmailing me, I’m pretty sure she would have killed him.”

“Well, your problem would have gone away,” Chris laughed, realizing he shouldn’t be.

“Well, truer words have never been spoken. But, I knew that Audrey would have gone to the police, even if I asked her not to. It was not a risk I was willing to take. So, I shouldered it alone.”  
“I think you underestimate Audrey. She is fiercely protective of you, but she knows how much your career means to you. She wouldn’t have put that in jeopardy. Deep down you know that.”

Sabrina nodded in agreement, “You realize now that I am beyond broken. Why aren’t you running from this apartment?”

“Well,” he started to say as he stood from the barstool and moved closer to her, “My flight doesn’t leave until Monday, and it’s a little late to go searching for a hotel right now.” He started to laugh at he pulled her into an embrace and kissed her forehead. “I’m teasing, Sabrina. You had a shitty relationship and Kyle left you with an enormous amount of baggage. But I’m going to prove to you that all men are not like Kyle. I am nothing like him, you don’t have to be afraid of me.”

Sabrina said nothing, she just held him tight. She could hear his heartbeat, strong and steady. Deep down she knew that what he was saying was the truth, he was nothing like Kyle. But in her mind, she kept going back to the fact that Kyle was sweet and attentive when she started dating him. The one variable in her relationship with Chris that scared her the most was the age difference. She was worried that he would get bored with her if she could not give him what he wanted the most, and that was children. If she gave herself to him, let herself love thoroughly and openly, and he broke her heart by walking away, she didn’t think she would be able to recover.

~ * ~  
The smell of coffee and the sound of the shower woke Sabrina. As she slowly opened her eyes, she noticed her stainless travel mug on the nightstand next to an almost empty cup of coffee. She slowly sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes, pulling the sheet up to cover herself. The bedroom was chilly, and her nightgown was not enough to keep her warm. She reached for her travel mug, letting the hot liquid coat her throat and warm her insides.

The water turned off, and she knew that within a few minutes, Chris would be entering the bedroom. Last night they had come upstairs and gone to bed, but there had been no sex. The fight after the gala, along with the discussion of her past, had killed any romantic overtures. In fact, they hadn’t even snuggled like they had in the past. It was as if the revelations of her past with Kyle had started to form a chasm between the two of them. She hoped she was simply overreacting. Hopefully, the lack of intimacy was simply because they were exhausted, and nothing more.

Chris came into the bedroom, jeans on, unbuttoned, no shirt and towel drying his hair. The sight of him was something to behold. He looked up to see Sabrina staring at him, a smile forming, “I see you decided to wake up.”

“How long have you been up?” She asked sheepishly, knowing she had been caught admiring his form.

“A few hours. I went downstairs so I wouldn’t wake you,” sitting on the edge of the bed, he leaned forward to give her a kiss. “I figured you could use the rest. But, it is almost noon, so I think you need to get that beautiful ass of yours out of bed.”

“You have plans for the day?” Sabrina tilted her head, raising her eyebrows to question his motives.

“I figured we could find something to do. Since we made an official debut last night, no need to hide in the apartment all day.”

Sabrina got out of bed, making her way to the bathroom while Chris went downstairs. When she joined him an hour later, she noticed that he had the blinds up in the living room and had the TV on.

“What’s going on?” She asked, curious as he seemed to be enthralled with something that was going on.

“I opened the blinds to look outside and saw all these police cars over on the North Shore. So, I turned on the TV, and there was a special report on that a body washed up on the beach this morning with the tide.”

“That happens more often than you’d think around here. The mob is still quite active, and they like to dispose of their enemies by tossing them in the Lake.”

Just as she finished her thought, the news anchor broke in, “To recap our breaking news story, a body has washed up on North Shore Drive this morning. The police are only saying it is the body of a male victim. They are not releasing his identity or his cause of death at this time. A source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, has indicated the victim was dressed in a tuxedo. The speculation is that he was either a guest at the National Architectural Gala at Navy Pier or was on one of the numerous dinner cruises that are on Lake Michigan each evening. The police are currently investigating these angles and are hoping to have a press conference with more information later this afternoon. We will keep you updated as we learn more.”  
“Do you want to get out of the apartment or watch the news all day?” Sabrina smirked as she clicked off the television and looked over at Chris.

~ * ~  
Special Agent Cherie Coleman was starting to worry, she had not heard from Kyle, he was late for his check-in. He had a rendezvous with Vinnie Saldonna on Saturday night, but she had no idea what it was about. Kyle didn’t seem too worried about it; he had been doing odd jobs for Vinnie over the last week or so. Every one of them had been recorded without incident. It bothered her how easily this man could lie. He was at ease with the recording device; she didn’t think there was anything to worry about as far as that was concerned. But why hadn’t Kyle checked in yet? It was almost two in the afternoon on Sunday, surely Kyle was home. She called the agents assigned to his apartment building, they had not seen him. Chapman hated working with her, but there is no way he would just leave her dangling like this. Asshole or not, he knew not to carry it this far.

Coleman decided to log into the Chicago PD blotter. Figuring she could get an idea of what had been dispatched and see if anything gave rise for her to be concerned. Sure, enough, right there on her screen, she saw it, ‘body on North Shore Drive.” She closed her laptop, grabbed her keys and took off for the scene. She couldn’t explain it, but she was positive this had something to do with Kyle. She turned her sirens on, something she rarely did in her vehicle and sped down the road. There was a power to command traffic like this; she could get used to it. As she arrived and pulled up behind the mass of police vehicles, she flashed her badge and ducked under the police tape to find the body.

She walked up to the medical examiner and the two Chicago PD Detectives who had been assigned the case. They were discussing the body and potential time of death. Coleman looked down at the body, it was uncovered. She reached for her cell phone; she had still not introduced herself to the gentleman in front of her. She dialed a number and upon the call connecting, spoke openly, “Director, this is Special Agent Coleman, and I’m sorry to bother you on a Sunday, sir. I need you to reach out to the Chief of Detectives for the Chicago PD and advise them that we will be taking over the case of the body that washed up on North Shore Drive.” Coleman was quiet for a moment, listening to whatever her Director was saying on his end of the line. “Yes sir, I do understand that. But I’m at the scene, and I can identify the body. The body is that of a confidential informant that I have been working with on a case. His name is Kyle Chapman.”

 


	23. Chapter 23

As Coleman disconnected the call, she noticed one of the detectives making his way toward her. She put her phone back in her pocket and prepared herself for the conversation; knowing it would probably turn contentious.

The Homicide Detective stepped forward, dressed in khakis and sports coat, extended his hand, “Hi, I’m Detective Tom West, I take it you’re FBI?”

She took his hand, returning the handshake, “Yes, Special Agent Cherie Coleman.”

“So, you told your Director this is a CI that you’re working with? You can identify his body?” He motioned back to Kyle’s body, uncovered and being photographed on the shoreline.

“Yeah, Kyle Chapman. Despite the fact that he’s dead, I can’t give you any details about the case we were working on,” she moved past the Detective and toward Kyle’s body. She squatted down beside him, wanting to see if his watch was still on his wrist. Seeing that it was, she had to work to suppress a smile. This meant she should have the audio of what transpired; she would have Kyle’s murder on audio. She stood back up, looking at Detective West, “I don’t want to take your glory, but I’ll tell you I’ve got a good idea of who killed him. You know how this works, right? There are things I can’t share, but I’ll need everything you find out.”

Detective West let out a laugh, “Not sure if you know this or not, Coleman, but there are a shit ton of murders in Chicago right now. So, we have our hands full with plenty of cases. If you want this one, I’ve got no problem giving it to you.”

Before she could respond, the Medical Examiner took the opportunity to insert himself into the conversation, “Before you two whip out your dicks to measure, do you care if I take the body to the morgue? I’ve got work to do, and since my job isn’t blurred by departments, I don’t give a shit which one of you will end up with the investigation.” He realized his words were caustic and vulgar, but he was tired of being caught in the middle of the pissing contests between the divisions of law enforcement.

West and Coleman both laughed at his remarks, but Coleman was the one who decided to respond. “Go right ahead. I’ll need to stop by for his personal effects, is that an issue?”

“Nope, you know where the morgue is. He’ll have no need for his clothes and effects for what I need to do,” The ME stood up and dusted off his pants, then straightened his glasses. He took a few steps back while his technicians loaded Chapman’s body into the body bag then onto the gurney for placement into the van.

Coleman pushed her luck in asking another question, “I know you’ve got other cases, but do you have any idea when you might have the autopsy and results back on this one?”

The ME let out a huff and shook his head, the cops, no matter what division, were always wanting to rush the process. “I should be able to start on him today, can have preliminary results this afternoon, full results in a day or so.”

“Great, thank you,” she said with a nod to show her appreciation. If she could at least get the watch and listen to the audio, she could begin to piece things together. Once she had the official autopsy results, well the case would be a slam dunk as far as she was concerned. She turned back to West, “So, what do you know so far?”

“Unfortunately, we don’t know much,” West admitted, “A couple was out walking this morning and said the body washed up with the tide. You saw the condition of the body, that’s all we know. He was wearing a tux, looks like he’s been beaten, and there is no apparent gunshot wound or stab wound.”

“He could have been shot or stabbed and bled out enough for the injury to be clear of blood stains,” Coleman offered, “The water could have washed the blood out of his clothes as well.”

“True, we don’t know how long he was in the water. The ME wasn’t able to give us the time of death yet. Does Chapman have family that can formally identify his body? Someone we need to alert?”

“No, not really. There is one person who could identify him, but I need to look into something before I’m willing to contact them,” she thrust her hand into her jacket pocket to fish around for a business card. Finding them, she took out two and handed one to West and one to his partner. They responded in kind, providing their business cards back to her, “Thanks for your help, I appreciate it. I’ll be in touch.” She walked away, heading back to her car and trying to process what might have happened last night with Kyle and his visit with Vinnie Saldonna.

Her mind began racing, if he had been wearing the watch all evening, his meeting with Vinnie was recorded. This meant she potentially had what she needed to finally put Saldonna away. There was no telling what else she had on that recording, but she needed to get it and listen to it. She figured she would let the Chicago PD finish up the scene at the shoreline; Kyle’s body had washed up there, but he wasn’t killed there. No evidence would be found that would help break the case. She knew they were only wasting their time. No, what she needed most was on Kyle’s body, then she could figure out where he was killed and break the case open from that point.

She pulled into the parking lot of the city morgue and took a deep breath. She hated this place; the idea of dead bodies made her skin crawl. She was okay with the crime scenes, but autopsies were a different story. She decided to delay the inevitable by calling the agents who were stationed outside Chapman's apartment. Now that she knew he was dead, she wanted to know if there had been activity there and have the agents search the place. She dialed the number and waited for an answer.

“Diaz,” the gruff voice answered the phone.

“Morning, John,” Coleman offered, “Any activity there?”

“Nope, nothing since Chapman, left last night. Bastard hasn’t even come home, must have gotten lucky or something.”

She let out a slight laugh, “Not quite, Chapman was just found washed up on North Shore Drive, still in his tux. Can you go in and take pictures of his apartment, see if you find anything interesting?”

“Poor bastard,” Diaz responded, “Sure thing. I’ll tape up the place and meet you back at the office with what we’ve found. Where are you now?”

“I’m at the morgue, about to collect his personal effects and see if the medical examiner has any preliminary findings. I’ll meet you in the office later. Thanks, Diaz,” she disconnected the call and opened the car door. She figured she might as well pull up her big girl panties and get this over with.

The entry to the morgue was a secured foyer, she had to present her badge and sign in with the security guard to gain access. As the door buzzed, she flung it open and walked down the hall towards the main lab where the autopsies were performed. The smells were overwhelming, she took deep breaths to maintain her composure and to keep from having a panic attack. As she looked through the large window, she saw Kyle’s boy on the table. He was stripped naked, with a towel over his hips to cover his genitals. She guessed the dead deserved a little dignity.

She pushed opened the door, “Hi Doctor Sanford, I hope I’m not interrupting.”

Barton Sanford looked up from the autopsy table to see Special Agent Coleman walk in, “I haven’t started so I have nothing to give you.” His words were clipped, and his tone was terse. He hated to be rushed by law enforcement, they had their timelines and understood that, but he was not going to be rushed.

“I know, I’m not here to rush you, I promise. I just wanted to see if I could get the personal effects of the victim. Do you have an issue with me taking them right now, are you done with them?”

“Oh, yeah that’s fine,” he was surprised by her request. “I’ve got them all in a basket on that shelf over there. Just make sure you sign it out at the security desk. Chain of custody and all of that, you know how it works.”

Coleman looked down, realizing that no incisions had been made, she approached the table to look at Chapman’s body. The markings made it pretty evident that he had been beaten. Not just on his face, but his torso as well. In her unprofessional opinion, he had most likely been kicked quite a few times in the ribs.

“Looks like he took one hell of a beating,” she offered quietly, “Can I ask that you let me know when you have the results? I’ve got a vested interest in this one.”

Sanford watched her carefully, “Sure, I can do that. He was your informant, right?”

“Yeah, he was an asshole, but he didn’t deserve to be killed that’s for sure. I’m pretty sure I know who is responsible, though. Thanks for your help.”  
Coleman picked up the bag of Kyle’s things and left the room. She wanted to get out of there before she got sick. She signed the property sheet with the security guard and made a beeline for her car. She wanted to get back to the office to see if she could get any audio from the watch before Diaz got back from the apartment. She had to hope that Kyle wasn’t in the water long enough for the recording device to be damaged. She said a silent prayer and headed to the FBI office.

~ * ~Monday Morning~ * ~  
Chris had already showered and was now busy packing his bag so that he could leave for the airport. He would be flying down to Dallas to film a small, independent movie. As he packed, Sabrina sat up on the bed, her knees pulled to her chest, and watched his movements carefully. The two of them had not been intimate the night before, but they were not fighting and had no unresolved issues between them. They had at least taken the time to discuss the upcoming schedule that Chris had and how it would impact their relationship.

He would be in Dallas for thirty days, or so, then he would be flying back to Los Angeles to begin the pre-production for his next directorial project. He was working on a major studio project that would have a ton of pressure associated with it. While he had received positive reviews for his directorial debut, this next project would have to be a financial success as well. He tried to use the analogy of Sabrina’s buildings and the pressure for her success, he told her their time together would end up being minimal because of his crazy schedule. No surprise visits, everything would be coordinated. Neither of them liked it, but as professionals, they both understood it.

The anger and hurt over the situation with Kyle was behind them. Chris understood why she had been hesitant to be open about her divorce. He was still shocked she had kept the blackmail quiet, especially from Audrey. He offered to help her get out of the mess with Kyle. Telling Sabrina he had lawyers who could help keep it quiet but get her out of the mess. She said that she thought the situation was now handled, and for him not to worry.

“I arranged for a car to take you to the airport. He should be waiting for you in the garage, keeps you out of the lobby,” Sabrina murmured as she rocked back and forth. “You’ll let me know when you make it to Dallas, right?”

Chris looked up from his bag, “Yes, I’ll let you know when I get there. You’re not going to lay in bed and cry all day, are you?” He asked with a smirk and raised eyebrows. He had enjoyed giving her grief about her reaction to his leaving the last time he had stayed with her.

Sabrina grabbed a pillow and hurled it at him, “See if I ever tell you I love you and miss you again,” she laughed hysterically as he tossed the pillow back at her. “I have plans for the day, once you leave, I’ve got some errands to run. I took the day off, letting the office get by without me.”

Chris zipped up his bag then walked over and sat on the side of the bed. He pulled her to his side, kissing her temple, “I’m happy you have found your balance, baby. I mean that, gives me one less thing to worry about.”

“I made you a promise, I’m trying to keep it. But you know, when I miss you the most, I work more.”

Chris kissed her one more time, then stood from the bed and grabbed his bag. Checking his watch he let her know it was time to leave. Sabrina slid from the bed, putting on her robe and followed him down the stairs. She gave him a deep, passionate kiss and told him she loved him and then watched as he walked toward the elevator. While she was going to miss him, the pain from his leaving was not nearly as deep as the first time.

The two of them were in a much better place. Not to mention, Sabrina’s confidence level in her relationship was stronger than it was when Chris left Chicago after their first weekend together. She padded her way into the kitchen, deciding to make a cup of coffee before heading upstairs to get ready. Chris had been gone about five minutes when she heard a knock on the door. Thinking it was Chris, she ran to the door, flinging it open and asking, “What did you forget?”

Instead of Chris standing in the hallway, she found a security guard from the lobby along with two gentlemen in suits. The security guard spoke up, “Ms. Burnham, I’m sorry to bother you ma’am, but these officers asked to be brought up to see you. I was told not to call first to announce our arrival.” The security guard snuck that last part in the hopes of saving his job. He knew that Sabrina did not like surprises at her door, and with the building being secured, this shouldn’t happen regularly.

“It’s fine,” Sabrina pulled her robe a little tighter, then stepped aside allowing the officers to enter. The security guard nodded and walked toward the elevator. “I’m making a cup of coffee, would either of you like anything?”

“No ma’am,” the first gentleman replied, “I’m Special Agent Edward Diaz with the FBI, and this is Detective Tom West with the Chicago PD. We have a few questions that we’re hoping you might be able to assist with.”

“Okay, sure. We can come in here and have a seat.” Sabrina led them into the dining room, and they each took a seat. She noticed the officers were looking around the apartment, admiring the décor and the view. “So, what kind of questions do you have and how might I be of assistance?”

Detective West spoke up, “Ma’am did you or do you know a Kyle Chapman?”  
Sabrina’s blood suddenly ran cold. Why in the world would she be questioned about Kyle?

“Yes, my ex-husband is named Kyle Chapman. Why?”

“Does he have any family? Parents, siblings, children? Anyone for us to reach out and speak with?”

“Um, no, I guess I am his only family, as sad as that seems. When Kyle was in high school, his father died, and while he was in college his mother died; you could say he’s an orphan. He was an only child and had no surviving grandparents. What is going on? Is he in some kind of trouble?”

Detective West leaned forward, his voice was soft, and he was trying to be consoling, “Ms. Burnham, there was a body that washed up on North Shore Drive on Sunday morning. The identification the body was that of a Kyle Chapman. We need to have a relative come to the morgue and formally identify the body. Based on your previous comment, it sounds as if that person would be you.”

Sabrina felt the air leave her lungs and was unsure if she could catch her breath. She sat quietly for a moment, the Detective had said Kyle was dead. She had just seen him on Saturday night, so if he was dead on Sunday morning, what happened after she left him on the pier and went back into the gala?

Agent Diaz decided to speak, “I know that is asking a lot for someone you were no longer married to. I can also imagine this is a bit of a shock to hear that your ex-husband might have passed away. But, we need to investigate this death and need to verify the victim. Are you willing to help us?”

Sabrina began to nod her head slowly, “Sorry, yeah, yes, I’m ready to help. I think I’m just in shock at the whole idea that it might be Kyle. My boyfriend just left, and I hadn’t gotten ready for the day yet. Can you give me ten or fifteen minutes to get ready and then I can go with you?”

Both men nodded in agreement and watched as she walked through the apartment and up the stairs. In their conversation amongst themselves, they agreed she seemed surprised to hear of his death. But that could be an act. They would watch her carefully during the visit to the morgue and then take her for an informal interrogation. Diaz quickly called Coleman to let her know that they would be bringing Sabrina into the office once they were done identifying the body. Coleman was giddy with delight over that prospect.  
Sabrina had walked up the stairs to her bedroom and quickly pulled on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a cardigan sweater. She looked pulled together, but was less than dressed up, she simply needed to hurry and didn’t have time to primp. She went into the bathroom and ran a brush through her hair, then pulled it back into a messy bun, so she didn’t have a bad case of bed head. She only put on some eyeliner, mascara and lip gloss then rushed back downstairs. She didn’t want to keep the officers waiting.

The officers escorted her to their vehicle to drive her to the morgue. She wasn’t excited about riding in the back of the car, it felt as if she was a criminal. She didn’t do anything wrong, but yet it still made her nervous to be in the backseat of a police vehicle. The car had been on the road for a few minutes when Diaz broke the silence.

“Isn’t Kyle Chapman the guy who worked on the building that collapsed and killed all those people?” His question was aimed at Tom West, not really at Sabrina.

“Yeah, I think so. I didn’t read the file on him, but that sounds about right,” both West and Diaz knew full well who Chapman was. They wanted to see if she was going to defend him or whether she had venom and distaste for him. She had guessed they were trying to trap her, she wasn’t planning on taking the bait.

Sabrina just stared out the window. She knew from conversations she had with Audrey in the past, most people get in trouble because they just can’t keep their mouth shut. They start talking and don’t shut up. She figured they expected to lull her into a false sense of security and then they would trap her. She wouldn’t let it happen, she just wouldn’t volunteer any information and then she couldn’t get in trouble for saying something she shouldn’t.

~ * ~  
Sabrina was led down a long hallway and into a small room with a large viewing window. In the adjacent room, she could see a body on a table, covered with a white sheet. A mix of emotions coursed through her body. She was uncomfortable with the idea of looking at a corpse, for one. She had trouble watching certain types of movies, so the idea of seeing it for real was not settling well. She was also feeling relief, if this were Kyle, her nightmare would be over. No more blackmail and the pictures would not come out, she wouldn’t have to tell Chris, and she could relax once and for all. But there was a small part of her that actually felt a tinge of sympathy. This is the part that bothered her the most. She hated Kyle Chapman and everything he had done to her over the last ten years. But no matter how much she hated him, she never truly wanted to see him dead. At one time in her life, she loved him. Bitterness and jealousy had distorted who he was, but he was a good man at one time; she wanted to hold on to that belief. Her hands began to shake, and she felt as if she might get sick.

Agent Diaz noticed the subtle changes in her, from strong and fearless to tentative and unsteady. He walked over, standing at her side, “I’m right here if you need me. I know these things aren’t easy and I’m sorry we had to bring you down here for this.” Sabrina looked up at him, she said nothing but her eyes conveyed a thank you. “Are you ready?” He asked, and she nodded slightly.

A young woman in a lab coat stepped forward in the adjacent room and folded back the white sheet to reveal the face of the body. Sabrina’s legs buckled slightly as she saw him. She said nothing, didn’t even raise her hand to her mouth, just stared for a moment before turning away and taking a seat in the row of chairs behind her. The young woman covered the man’s face once again and stepped out of the room, switching off the light as she did.

Agent Diaz took a seat in the chair next to Sabrina, “I assume you recognize that to be Kyle?”

Her voice was quiet as she responded, “Yes, that’s Kyle.”

Detective West stepped forward, taking a spot directly in front of Sabrina. This would allow her to look up to speak but block her view of the adjacent room. “Ms. Burnham, we’d like to go ahead and take you to the FBI District Office to ask you some questions about Kyle, if you’re up for it. We need to piece a few things together.”

This had now piqued her interest, “Why are the FBI and the Chicago PD looking into this? You said his body was found on North Shore Drive, do you think he was murdered?” She had a hard time holding back the surprise in her voice, the idea that Kyle could have been murdered was not something she would have ever considered.

“Let’s just say his death is a little suspicious,” Detective West chimed in, “We want to get some information from you, see if you can help shed some light on a few things.”

“Okay,” her voice was shaky as she responded, “I’m not sure what I can help with, but I’ll do what I can.”

Sabrina stood up and was led out of the room, back down the hallway and out of the building. She was placed in the car and driven the few short blocks to the FBI building. For as much as she felt like a suspect in the back of the car, the feelings were worse when she was escorted into the building and placed in an interrogation room. She started to wonder if she needed a lawyer, but she didn’t kill Kyle, so, why would she?

Sabrina started thinking of the murder mysteries and cop shows she had watched on TV and began to catalog things she shouldn’t do. They offered her something to drink, she politely declined. She knew if she took a drink, they would want to keep the bottle, can, or cup and run DNA to see if it was on Kyle’s clothes or on his body. Since she knew she did touch him outside the gala, she wasn’t falling into that trap. Score one for Sabrina!

She also tried to figure which one was going to play the good cop and which one was going to play the bad cop. After all, every scenario on TV has that. She was keeping her breathing calm, not tapping her foot, not trying to seem anxious in the least. Sabrina Burnham had turned on her work persona, calm and level headed; damn, she hoped it worked.

“Ms. Burnham,” Detective West started out, “You’ve been divorced from Mr. Chapman for how long?”

“Ten years, almost eleven. Officially separated for twelve, though. It just took some time to get through a settlement.”

“I see, and do you know where he has been living lately?”

“I believe he lives and works in Texas, Austin more accurately. I don’t have his address; not like I send him a Christmas card or anything.”

Detective West gave her a smile; he could appreciate her sarcasm. “Right, well, did you know he had an apartment in Chicago?”

Sabrina’s eyes widened, “No! I had no idea.”

Agent Diaz was watching her closely, and he believed her reaction. The fact that he was living in Chicago was news to her, and she looked a bit terrified. “Ms. Burnham, did you have a violent relationship with Mr. Chapman?”

Sabrina was stunned by the question, “Why would you ask that?”

“You were visibly stunned to learn he was living in Chicago, almost as if that scared you. Tell us, when was the last time you spoke with Kyle?”

Sabrina swallowed hard, she didn’t want to answer this question. She really did wish she had an attorney at this point. As she was struggling to find her voice, the door opened to the interrogation room. She couldn’t see who was standing there, but Diaz and West stood up and excused themselves. They left the room and a moment later a woman walked in.

“Ms. Burnham, my name is Special Agent Cherie Coleman. I’m going to take over the questioning for Diaz and West,” she took a seat and closed the folder that had been left on the desk. “Actually, I’m not going to question you as much as tell you a story and ask you to fill in a few blank spots, okay?”

“I’m not sure if I understand,” Sabrina answered honestly.

“Fair enough, but here is what I know. Kyle was a low-life who had been blackmailing you for the last ten years since your divorce. Every month you were paying him a significant amount of money for him to keep private the sex tapes he had made of the two of you when you were married.” Sabrina blanched, she didn’t realize anyone knew this information, much less the FBI. “Don’t worry, the tapes are secured, and you’ll get them to burn or do whatever you want with them. They aren’t in jeopardy of being released.”

Sabrina let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding, “How did you know about those?”

“Kyle told me. He was my CI for a case, I knew he was doing something to you, and I said I was investigating him and planning on bringing charges against him. He came clean and said he would stop blackmailing you if I would not press charges. We were drawing up the paperwork, he was going to go into witness protection as soon as this case we were working on was over.”

“Oh, I see,” she bowed her head.

“He told me how much you hated him and honestly, I don’t blame you. So, it begs me to ask, did you kill him?”

“What?” Sabrina came up out of her chair, fire in her eyes and anger rising in her voice. The calm demeanor she fought so hard to keep in place with Diaz and West was gone. “Hell no, I didn’t kill him. I didn’t know he was dead until this morning.” She sat back down and tried to calm herself; she hated that she had the outburst, but she had never been accused of murder before.

“You know in the conversations you had with Diaz and West, and so far, with me, you haven’t asked how he died. So, it leads one to think that you already know.”

“Well, you said his body washed up on North Shore Drive. So, that means he was in the water, and since the motherfucker didn’t know how to swim, I’m going to guess that he drowned,” her voice was oozing with sarcasm and bitterness, but no sympathy.

“Oh, playing detective I see,” Coleman’s sarcasm was just as biting. But she had to hand it to Sabrina, she was using deductive reasoning in figuring out what happened. “The full autopsy report isn’t back yet, but drowning was just part of it. He most likely wasn’t conscience, he was beaten pretty badly,” Coleman took pictures out of the folder and put them in front of Sabrina. They showed the bruises on his chest, ribs, face, and hands. “Some of the wounds are defensive, so he tried to fight back. Fair to say he wasn’t fighting you, but I’m not convinced you didn’t have someone do it on your behalf.”

“I think I need an attorney, evidently you are trying to find a way to pin his murder on me. Are you planning on arresting me right now?”

Coleman sat back in her chair, crossed her arms and stared at Sabrina. “No, not today, I’m not. I’m not ruling it out, though. This is where I tell you to not leave town and all of those fun clichés you hear when you watch the cop shows on TV.”

Sabrina pushed away from the table and made her way to the door, she turned back and looked at Coleman. She thought she looked like a smug agent trying desperately to get under her skin. Unfortunately, it was working. “I didn’t have a reason to kill Kyle. He might have been blackmailing me, but he’d been doing it for ten years, if I were going to kill him, I’d have done it years ago.”

She turned the knob on the door and took a step forward when Coleman spoke and stopped her cold, “Oh, I think you had about ten million reasons to kill him, Sabrina,”

Sabrina elected not to respond, although she wanted to. She just walked on out the door and out onto the street in front of the FBI building. She hailed a cab to go back to the apartment. During the drive, she sent a text message and then tried to hold back the onslaught of tears that were pricking her eyes.


	24. Chapter 24

The cab ride seemed to take forever. When Sabrina was riding with the police, the drive seemed short. However, now that she wanted to try to find an end to this nightmare, everything was slowing down. She had no desire to deal with people in the building lobby, and frankly, she didn’t want to deal with the security staff either. She asked the cab driver to let her out at the entrance to the parking garage. He obliged, and she walked up the ramp towards the private elevator. Right now, she was on auto-pilot. As the elevator took her to her floor, she quickly texted Chris to let him know that she was dealing with a problem and would call him later that night. She didn’t want to talk to him when she was this worked up. Plus, she didn’t know how to tell him she was a possible murder suspect.

She entered the apartment and dropped her purse and keys on the entryway table. Taking a page directly from Chris’ playbook, she walked straight into the kitchen and poured a glass of whiskey. No measuring needed, she needed to get as much alcohol in her system, as quickly as possible. Before she could get too inebriated, she made a quick call to the firm where Kyle had been working in Austin. She figured they needed to know he was dead, she had no idea if the FBI would inform them or not. It was not a call she wanted to make.

Sabrina talked to George Denby, the principal at the firm, he said all the right things about how sorry he was to hear about Kyle. She knew he was just polite. After all, it wasn’t really nice to speak ill of the dead. George Denby knew that Sabrina and Kyle were divorced and did not speak, but he offered to box up the office and send Chapman’s belongings to her. She didn’t really want them to be honest. But, it would be best to get the box and filter through it, just to make sure there wasn’t anything she needed to burn. George asked about the apartment where Kyle lived in Austin. Right now, she wasn’t sure what to do with it or the place he had in Chicago. She would deal with that another day. Frankly, she was disgusted that it was even falling on her to consider these things. Damn she hated Kyle Chapman and even in death he was haunting her.

As she hung up the phone, she took another swig of whiskey. She could feel the buzz coming on, the numbness taking over. She quickly topped off the glass and was prepared to take another drink when she heard the knock on the door. She was not yet too drunk to get up and answer the door, although her coordination was a little off. She opened the door, bracing herself against it to make sure she didn’t completely fall over.

“Have you been drinking?” Audrey asked as she walked into the apartment and took in Sabrina’s appearance. She watched as Sabrina pushed herself away from the door and stumbled back towards the kitchen. She noticed the half-empty bottle of whiskey on the counter, “Good grief, please tell me that bottle wasn’t full when you started drinking?”

“Um, no, it wasn’t full. Chris started drinking it last night. But I am determined to finish it today. Do you want one?” Her words were starting to slur. Audrey shook her head then stepped forward and snatched the bottle from her hands. “Hey, that’s mine, you can’t do that!”

“I can, and I am. You need to sit your ass down before you fall down and tell me what is going on. Your text message said it was urgent. Does this have to do with Chris? Did something happen with you two?”

“Nope!” Sabrina shook her head, a little too enthusiastically. “Nothing has happened, yet. And this has nothing to do with him. Ok, maybe it does a little.” She was trying to gesture to show just how little but it wasn’t working, her coordination was off thanks to the whiskey. “The big problem is fucking Kyle. Did you know my idiot ex got himself murdered, and the FBI thinks that I, did it? How do you like that shit? I’m being investigated for murder, Audrey. Now give me back my bottle, I’ve got reasons to get drunk.”

Audrey did need a drink but not whiskey, she walked over and grabbed a bottle of wine. She opened it and poured a glass. She could at least keep her wits about her with this, but she knew she would not be able to make it through this entire conversation without some kind of alcohol. But before things went further, she needed to get something out of the way. “Sabrina, did you ask me to come over here as your friend or as your attorney?”

Sabrina gave her a questioning look, “What kind of question is that? It doesn’t matter, does it?”

“Yes, it actually does matter. It’s important, and I need to have this answered before you tell me anything else. Did you want to talk to me as your friend or as your attorney?”

Sabrina let out a huff, “I need you to be both!” She was exasperated with the questions and had no idea why they were spending time on this. “I need a friend, and I need an attorney, I want you to be both. I trust you, Audrey, and I miss you. I need your help, so please, will you help me?”

Audrey could see the fear in her friend’s eyes. “You know I’m only a corporate attorney, I can’t help you if they file criminal charges and you go to court. Let me call Gunnar, he practiced criminal law, he will help, I know it.”

Sabrina’s eyes widened in fear, “No! I only want you; I don’t want anyone else to know about this.” Immediately the tears began to spill down her cheeks, “Please, Audrey, I’m begging you.”

The last time Sabrina had been this despondent had been right after she had filed for divorce when she was hiding from Kyle. Her emotions had been in check for a long time now, always composed and putting on a strong façade. Honestly, Audrey couldn’t even remember the last time she witnessed Sabrina drunk. It was just something she didn’t do. This is how she knew she was rattled and everything she was about to be told would be jarring and unexpected. She took her glass of wine, and the whiskey bottle, and made her way to the barstool next to Sabrina and took a seat. Keeping the whiskey out of Sabrina’s reach, she settled in and figured it was time to get to the questioning, “You said Kyle was murdered? What happened and how did you find out about it?”

Sabrina began to nod her head and then sniffled, “I had an FBI agent and Police Detective show up here at the apartment, right after Chris left this morning. They wanted to know if I knew someone named Kyle Chapman and if I was aware of any family members, other than myself. When I told them that was my ex-husband and he had no family, they told me they found his body this morning and wanted to know if I would make a formal identification. I agreed, changed my clothes and went to the morgue with them. Once I confirmed it was Kyle, they asked if I would be willing to answer some questions about him so they could help find the person who killed him.”

“Well, to me, that seems entirely reasonable. You were married to the man for years; it makes sense they would ask you questions about him. So, what happened next?”

“I get asked the usual questions like how long we were married, where did he live now, etc. They told me he had a place in Chicago, which I didn’t know. Then in the middle of their questions, this female agent come in and starts asking questions,” Sabrina stopped and took a drink of whiskey. She paused and waited for the burn to hit her stomach before she continued. “Out of the blue, she comments that I haven’t asked how he died, and that makes her curious. I told her, his body washed up on North Shore Drive, which meant he was in the water, and since the motherfucker couldn’t swim I guessed he drowned.”

Audrey had to stifle a laugh, “Please tell me you didn’t say it like that to her?” Sabrina nodded her head as she took another drink. “Shit, you had a valid point, but you can’t be sarcastic and nasty to the FBI. That casts suspicion on you and shows them how much you hated him.”

“Oh, it’s okay, she already knew I hated him. She knew he had been blackmailing me for the last ten years; she knew I didn’t like him and had reasons to be less than sympathetic that he was dead.”

This was news to Audrey. Sabrina had never told her that Kyle was blackmailing her, and certainly not for the last ten years. There is no way that her best friend could have kept a secret this big away from her, right? “What do you mean that Kyle was blackmailing you? How in the hell did I not know this?”

Sabrina drank the rest of the amber liquid in her glass, with her head bowed, she answered Audrey’s questions. “No one knew, I didn’t tell a single person. Well, I mean, Chris knows now because he saw me fighting with Kyle on Saturday night and wanted answers. But before that, I didn’t tell anyone, I was too scared to let anyone know.”

Audrey rose from the barstool and began pacing back and forth through the kitchen area. Like Sabrina, pacing helped her think, and right now she needed her brain to help figure out a way out of this mess. Her blood pressure was off the chart at the moment. She tried to calm herself down because she knew if she started to talk it would turn into yelling; that would not be suitable for this situation. No, she needed to figure out how to ask the questions she needed to ask without inflaming the situation. The best way to do it was to break down what Sabrina was telling her into small bites that she could easily digest.

“I have a ton of questions, but I am going to do this in small chunks. Let’s get the biggest issue out of the way first. What did Kyle have on you that allowed him to blackmail you?”

Sabrina took a deep breath and exhaled, the words tumbling out as she did. “Sex tapes, he had tapes that he recorded of us being intimate when we were married. He wanted to release them to porn sites, make money off of them, embarrass me in the process, and ruin my reputation,” her words were coming out in staccato, she was starting to sob.

“Kyle set up a nanny cam to record the two of you having sex? Dear heavens, he really was a sick son of a bitch. When did this come out?”

“During the divorce proceedings, when I threatened to file charges against him for assault.”

“So that is why you hurried and settled your divorce before going to court?” Sabrina nodded slowly, acknowledging that Audrey’s recollection of the facts was accurate. “He told you to pay, he’d keep this quiet.”

“Yeah, the building collapse happened around this time, too. And his price to me was going to help him pay off his debt to the mob. I’ve paid him a monthly fee, every month, every year.”

“Sweet Jesus, Sabrina, that’s ten years’ worth of payments to him. What he did would have been a felony, so with the beating and the extortion, and the videos without consent, he would have gone to jail for a while. Why in the hell didn’t you tell me about this?” Sabrina didn’t answer, in fact, she couldn’t even look Audrey in the eye. Instead, she studied her empty glass carefully, turning it in her fingers like she was hoping the amber liquid would reappear. “Please tell me you have some record of these payments? They were by wire transfer or check, but you didn’t send him cash, right?”

Sabrina finally looked up, “Never sent cash, always a wire transfer each month. Occasionally he would send me a text message to remind me to make a payment or to raise the amount. He taunted me, I think he thrived on it. He said things that made me believe he was watching me, so I always had to watch my back.”

“So, we can add stalking to the list of charges, and it never dawned on you to call the police?” Her voice was bitter and hateful; she didn’t mean to be, but it was hard not to be angry over this. Her best friend let her ex-husband manipulate and blackmail her for ten years – this was something she could not wrap her brain around. “I don’t get how a smart woman, such as yourself, could be so stupid. I’m dumbstruck, there is no other word for it.”

“So, the FBI thinks you killed Kyle? Did they come out and say that to you directly?”

“I realized they were looking at me as a suspect and said I wanted an attorney. I asked if they were arresting me and the agent told me no, not today. I got up to leave and asked what reason did I have for killing Kyle. She responded that I had ten million reasons. That’s when I knew I was really in trouble.”

“Why is that significant? What am I missing?” Audrey took a sip from her wine glass and then moved to stand against the far kitchen wall, she was facing Sabrina at the bar.

“Kyle had new pictures of me, and he had initially wanted 1.5 million but when realized who the other person in the picture was, he changed the price to ten million. He made that change at the gala, when we were arguing outside and when I threatened to kill him.”

Audrey slid down the wall, she rested her arms on her knees. She could not believe what she was hearing. Her brain was now on overload, and she wasn’t quite sure how to decipher all of it, much less process it. She ran her hands through her hair, trying to figure out the best way to approach the next line of questions for Sabrina. In looking at her friend, she could see the pain and confusion in her face. This was not easy for her, and she was visibly shaken.

“Have you talked to Chris since you found out that Kyle is dead?” Sabrina shook her head; she didn’t trust her mouth to form words. “He saw you fight with Kyle, you mentioned that earlier, but did he hear what you were fighting about? Did you tell him?”

Sabrina looked over at the bottle of whiskey, it was not within arm’s length. She would have to stand up to get it, and she didn’t trust her legs. But she knew that for her to continue this conversation, she was going to need liquid courage. She would hold off for now and hope that breathing deep and trying to stay calm would be enough. But she wasn’t so sure of that.

“Chris didn’t hear our fight, but I told him about Kyle that night. I had never told him I was married or divorced; he wasn’t thrilled with that news, as you can imagine. I told him about what led to our divorce, and I admitted to the blackmail from the sex tapes. I didn’t say there were new pictures.”

“Yeah, about those new pictures,” Audrey stopped in mid-sentence when she noticed that Sabrina was trying to stand up and make a move for the whiskey bottle. Her movements were tentative since she didn’t trust herself not to fall. But when she grabbed the bottle she immediately sat back down. She didn’t bother with a glass this time, she just unscrewed the top and tossed it to the side and began drinking straight from the bottle.

“I fucked up, Audrey,” Sabrina whispered as she wiped her wrist across her mouth. “When Chris and I were locked in my apartment that first weekend, we had a lapse in judgment and had sex against the open window.” Audrey’s gasp was out of her mouth before she could stop it. Her hands flew to her mouth immediately. “Yeah, you see where I’m going with this. Kyle was evidently watching my apartment and took pictures of us and was blackmailing me for the new set of photographs.”

Audrey ran her fingers through her hair; she didn’t think things could get worse and yet they did. “If Kyle only wanted 1.5 million, to begin with, he didn’t know who was in the picture with you. He figured it out at the gala, which is why his price went up, right?”

Sabrina pointed at her and yelled, “BINGO! I’ve seen a few of the pictures, and while I’m on full display, Chris isn’t recognizable. His head is down, his tattoos aren’t visible, and there is nothing that makes you think I am with Captain America. So, I was going to pay my low-life ex-husband, and he was going to go away,” she took another swig from the bottle.

Audrey wanted to yell and scream but knew that it wouldn’t do any good. But she was angry. She was mad at Kyle for putting them in this situation and mad at Sabrina for not stopping Kyle years ago. “Do you have any idea what it will do to Chris’ career if pictures like that are released? I don’t give a shit that you had sex with him in the window, but the idea that you did it when you knew that Kyle was stalking you, that is what infuriates me. You were playing with fire, and now you are getting burned. With him dead, what do you think is going to happen with the pictures? I’m sure you didn’t have ten million to pay him on Saturday night?” Her tone and temperament were rising. She couldn’t help it, even with her humiliation with Chris, she couldn’t help but defend him.

Then an awful thought crossed her mind. What if Sabrina did kill Kyle to get the pictures and keep from paying him. She’d already admitted she knew he couldn’t swim and she fought with him on the pier. She didn’t say which part of the pier they were on. She could have easily pushed him from the far side, and the currents washed him up on North Shore Drive.

“Sabrina, you didn’t kill Kyle to get the pictures, did you?”

“What?!” She was so surprised at Audrey’s question that she almost lost the grip on the bottle in her hand. “I would have loved to have killed him, believe me. I even threatened to kill him if he approached Chris, but I wouldn’t have done it. It’s a figure of speech, Audrey, that’s all.”

“I know it’s a figure of speech, but when a person is pushed to the brink, it becomes a crime of passion. You threatened him to protect Chris. How far would you have gone to protect the two of you?”

“Not that far! I can’t believe you even had to ask that,” Sabrina took another drink and didn’t hold back the tears that began to well up in her eyes. She had made a significant leap of faith in calling to invite Audrey over to the apartment. She had needed to talk to someone that she could trust and who might understand where she was coming from; she thought Audrey was that person. Now she was beginning to wonder if that was a bad idea. Maybe she should have just kept this all to herself.

Audrey stood up from her place on the floor and made her way to the barstool where Sabrina was sitting. She sat down next to her and put her arm around her shoulder, pulling her towards her. “I’m sorry, I just had to ask. The Sabrina I’ve always known wouldn’t, but you’ve thrown me for a loop with the fact that you’ve kept a pretty extraordinary secret these last ten years. I never thought you were capable of that, either.”

Sabrina’s shoulders shook as the sobs took over her body. There was nothing Audrey could do except hold her friend and attempt to comfort her. The question bouncing in her mind was the status of the pictures; she was pretty sure that Sabrina was worried about them as well. If the transfer didn’t take place, Kyle had them when he was murdered. Did his killer take the SD card? And if Kyle didn’t know who Chris was, there’s a good chance his killer doesn’t either. Audrey was starting to side with Sabrina on this, Chris didn’t need to know, at least not yet. Hopefully, if the FBI wanted to talk to Sabrina again, they could shed some light on this before they had to come clean with Chris.

Within a few minutes, Sabrina’s tears subsided, and her breathing went back to normal. Audrey suggested that she go upstairs to sleep off the alcohol and she reluctantly agreed. Audrey helped Sabrina up the steps and onto the bed, she then pulled the door shut, letting her friend drift off to sleep.

When Audrey returned downstairs, she decided to make a phone call, “Hey, Chris, sorry to bother you. Do you have a minute?”

“Uh, sure. I gotta admit Audrey, I didn’t expect to hear from you.”

“Yeah, well, I’m calling about Sabrina. But before you get all worked up, she’s fine. Look, I’m at the apartment, and she’s sleeping off half a bottle of whiskey.”

“Christ, what happened?”

“Before you left Chicago, did you see the story about the body that washed up on North Shore Drive?” She heard him respond with an ‘uh-huh’ before continuing. “Today she found out that it was her ex-husband, Kyle. She had to identify the body and then she was questioned by the FBI and the Chicago PD. She’s a suspect, Chris.”

“Whoa! Wait a minute,” he was more than worked up at this point. He could not believe what he was hearing. “Audrey, she couldn’t have killed him. She argued with him on the pier, but he was alive when she came back inside. Then she was by my side the rest of the evening until she received her award. Then she was on a stage in front of hundreds of people. Then we went back to the apartment together, and we argued about Kyle. So, she had no opportunity to kill the guy.”

“I know, but they will investigate if she contracted someone to do it for her.”

“You don’t really believe that, do you?”

“No, I don’t. But, I figured the two of you were probably supposed to talk tonight, and she is in no condition. I didn’t want you to worry, so I thought I should reach out. I’m staying here for a while to make sure she’s okay.”

“Thanks, Audrey. I’m glad that you two are patching things up, she misses you.”

“Yeah, well I miss her, too. Bye, Chris.”

~ * ~  
Special Agent Cherie Coleman was salivating at the stack of transcripts that were in front of her. The audio technicians had finally finished going through all of the information on the watch. When she met with Sabrina Burnham a few days ago, they had only transcribed the first hour or so of the audio; that is how she had the information about the $10 million dollars. While she wanted to know where the pictures were, she was laser focused on who actually killed Kyle.

After four hours of intense reading, she finally had her answer. She picked up her phone and called her Director, "I've got what we need to put away Chapman's killer. He was wired, the entire exchange is recorded."

"Great! Reach out to the Federal Prosecutor and start the paperwork, let's get this wrapped up. Meet me in the office at 9 am tomorrow for a briefing," the Director was beaming, this would be a big break for the department, and he was beyond excited. "And Coleman, good work."

~ * ~  
Several days had passed, and Sabrina had been on pins and needles. She had not heard been contacted by the FBI or the Chicago PD in regards to their investigation of Kyle’s death and how they thought she might fit into that puzzle. She spoke with Audrey almost every day to strategize if something would happen.

She had also talked to Chris but had been careful in what she had said to him. She had told him that Kyle had died and that the FBI had uncovered he had been blackmailing her. Because of this, they considered her a suspect in his death. It was believable, and to a certain degree, it was accurate. Sabrina just left out that the blackmail was recent and the pictures had him in them as well.

Chris expressed his concern for her, but she convinced him that she was okay. She was doing her best to believe that herself. In reality, the conversations with him and the attempts to maintain normalcy were helping.

~ * ~ Saturday Morning~ * ~  
The sky was dreary and overcast, the perfect kind of weather for a funeral. The morgue had released Kyle’s body, and since he had no family, Sabrina was the only person to claim it and keep it from being thrown into a pauper’s grave. She originally refused to claim it, she was suspected of killing him, why would she bury him? He blackmailed her and treated her like shit for years, why should she show any decency and give him a funeral? Her heart and her brain were at war with one another.

She had dinner with Audrey and Gunnar and told them about the battle she was waging. Neither of them attempted to sway her decision, they let her argue both sides and see if she could come to her own conclusion. They honestly found it amusing; they were sitting back in their chairs watching her volley back and forth with herself and trying to maintain their composure. After twenty minutes or so, Sabrina finally rested her case, although she had no clear decision.

After allowing some silence to pass, Gunnar leaned forward and offered his opinion. “You know, I realize he was a lousy husband at the end, and he wasn’t must better as a human being in general. But you are a good person. You know he has no family, and as much as you hate him, you’d hate yourself if you didn’t step in and give him a proper burial. Not only that, Sabrina, giving him a funeral of some sort gives you closure. Ends this chapter of our life and allows you to formally move on.”

Sabrina was surprised with his assessment; so was Audrey for that matter. But she did think that Gunnar had a point. Maybe she did need to formally close this chapter to allow herself to move on. “If I do this, will you guys come? I don’t think I can do this by myself.”

“Absolutely,” Audrey spoke up, “I’ll be there for you. After all, I’ve known him for as long as you have, it would only seem right. Are you going to do a big funeral or just something small?”

“Small, just a graveside service with no fanfare. I’m not even doing an obituary. He had no friends, he had turned most people against him. I’m not trying to be rude or hateful, but realistic.”

Within a few days, she had purchased as casket and a plot at the cemetery where Kyle’s parents were buried. The arrangements were finalized, and it was time to put him to rest. Gunnar drove, Audrey was seated in the front with him and Sabrina in the backseat. She thought the weather was the perfect setting for the day and the emotions she was feeling.

The pastor officiating the service was aware of the circumstances and had agreed to keep it short. No waxing poetic on what a great guy he was or how he would be redeemed in the afterlife. Sabrina was astonished that she actually did feel a bit of emotion as the service concluded. Knowing that at one point, he was a good man and his life took a sinister turn. One day she might be able to forgive him, but that was not going to be today and most likely wouldn’t be tomorrow, either.


	25. Chapter 25

Life had somewhat returned to normal for Sabrina Burnham in the six weeks since Kyle Chapman’s body had washed ashore. As normal as it could be when she knew there was still a murder investigation hanging over her head. Audrey had finally convinced Sabrina to discuss the situation with Gunnar. He admonished her, much the same way Audrey had, over the failure to turn Kyle in for extortion. Although, he did have a little more sympathy when it came to how it would have played out in court. Sabrina had every right to be concerned, her name would have been sullied, and her reputation would have taken a hit. Redemption would have been possible, but it would have cost money, and a public relations firm would have to be hired to make it happen. However, Gunnar said it should have been done ten years ago, and the risk would have been far less than.

Sabrina felt sufficiently chastised over it. But bringing Gunnar into the fold also meant she had a criminal attorney in her corner if the FBI felt the need to pursue a case against her. The suspicion was they were going to cut her loose; if they had anything of substance on her, they would be knocking on her door almost daily to speak with her and anyone she knows. So far, it had been crickets.

In the past six weeks, things were going well with Chris, too. He had finished his film in Dallas and had gone back to Los Angeles. They had not been able to get together in person, but they were speaking to one another at least once a day. That didn’t include the multitude of text messages flying back and forth. He was supportive of the entire situation, telling her that he was sure she had nothing to worry about.

Sabrina tried to keep her mind focused on work, hoping that if she ignored everything about Kyle Chapman, it would all disappear. She was finishing up the budget for a new build when Alice knocked on her door. As she entered, Sabrina noticed the look of dread and fear in her eyes, “What’s wrong, Alice?”

“Ma’am, there is a Special Agent Coleman with the FBI who is here to speak with you. Obviously, she doesn’t have an appointment, can you see her?”

Sabrina tried to swallow the lump in her throat, “Send her in.” As Alice turned to walk out, Sabrina stopped her, “Alice, hold all my calls and cancel my meetings for the remainder of the day. I’m not sure how long this will take, and I don’t want to hold anyone up.”

Alice nodded politely and then opened the door, ushering the Agent into the office. As Cherie Coleman walked into the room, she couldn’t help but look around and take in the décor. “Nice office, Ms. Burnham. Remarkably different from the one Mr. Chapman had down in Austin.”

“Please, have a seat, Agent Coleman. Can I get you something to drink?” Sabrina offered as she walked around her desk and toward the sitting area. Coleman shook her head and took a seat at the end of the couch. Sabrina took the chair next to the sofa, looked at the agent and decided to dive in. “To what do I owe the pleasure? Should I contact my attorney before we start this conversation?”

Coleman was not surprised by the caustic tone from Sabrina. In fact, she would have been disappointed if she had been friendly. “No ma’am, you don’t need your attorney. I’m actually here to tell you that the investigation has concluded and we are no longer looking at you for the murder of Mr. Chapman.”

Sabrina let out a sigh and felt her body relax, falling back into her chair just a little. She wanted to maintain her composure, but the weight of the entire situation being lifted off her shoulders was overwhelming. “Who killed him? And why?”

“We’ve arrested Vincent Saldonna for the murder. I can’t get into all of the details with you, Ms. Burnham, but I can tell you that Kyle was wearing a recording device when it happened. As a matter of fact, he was wearing it when you had your confrontation with him.”

“Which is why you thought I had something to do with it? Because I threatened to kill him that night,” she responded quietly.

“From the device, I know you were supposed to have a transaction for some explicit pictures that Mr. Chapman took of you without consent. That transaction didn’t occur because he realized who the gentleman was in the pictures and was trying to raise the purchase price. Am I correct?” Sabrina solemnly nodded her head in agreement. “We found the SD card with the photographs along with the signed affidavit that he was to provide to you that evening.”

Coleman reached into the inner pocket of her suit jacket and produced an envelope. She placed the envelope on the coffee table, “Inside that envelope you will find the SD card and the affidavit. You can do what you want with those, they are the only copies. We have gone through Kyle’s computers and everything in his apartment, he had no other copies of them. We double checked his email as well, other than the two he sent to you, no other pictures were distributed to anyone. It appears he was actually living up to his end of the bargain on this transaction.”

“Thank you. You have no idea how relieved I am to have these in my possession.”

“Just so you know, we had an agent in Los Angeles reach out to Mr. Evans to let him know the pictures had been recovered as well. He was notified late yesterday afternoon.” At that moment, time stopped, and Sabrina felt as if every drop of blood in her body had run cold. The blood drained from her face, and Coleman noticed it, “Are you alright? What’s wrong, Ms. Burnham?”

Sabrina stood from the chair and bolted for the bathroom, retching violently. Her body heaved, and she collapsed to the bathroom floor. She remained there for what felt like hours, before getting up and rinsing her mouth. As she walked back into her office, Agent Coleman stood, the look on her face was one of genuine concern.

“Mr. Evans was not aware the photographs existed, I had not told him. I was keeping it quiet and trying to handle it on my own so he wouldn’t have to worry about it.”

Now it was Coleman’s turn to blanch. “I’m sorry,” was the only thing she could say and it was grossly inadequate. Coleman reached into her jacket again, pulling out another envelope. “I had something else to talk to you about, but right now, I am sure you would prefer that I leave. I have my card here, if you need me, please feel free to call.”

Coleman then turned and exited the room. Leaving Sabrina standing in the middle of her office with a look on her face that brought all the weight that had just been lifted, right back on top of her.

~ * ~16 hours Earlier~*~  
Chris Evans was kicked back in the living room of his Los Angeles home reading over the script for the movie he was preparing to direct. This was the second time he was reading it, but this time he was making production notes. He wanted to get a jump on the pre-production meeting scheduled for next week. He figured he should go to the meeting prepared with ideas for where they should film and who should be cast.

Scott had called earlier and suggested they get together for lunch and to catch up; it had been a while since the two of them had spent any time together. Deep down, Chris knew that Scott wanted the lowdown on his relationship with Sabrina. He would want all the juicy details, especially about the sex. Chris would act as if he was offended, roll his eyes, and tell him he objected to his even asking. Then after a few beers, Chris would tell him everything he wanted to know.

Chris was so focused on the script, he didn’t even hear Scott pull up out front. He didn’t even realize he was there until he heard the front door open and he glanced over to see Scott struggling. He jumped from the couch to help him with the bags and then sprinted back to answer his ringing phone that was left on the coffee table.

“Hello,” Chris replied, slightly out of breath, “Yeah, I’m home. Uh uh….ok….so, why do they want to talk to me? No, no that’s, okay. Yeah, come on over. Sure, see you then.” He disconnected the call, putting the phone back down on the table.

Chris acted as if the phone never rang, so Scott decided to jump in and begin his interrogation, “So, who’s coming over?”

“Huh? Oh, the call? It was my agent, seems he’s on his way over here with an FBI Agent. For some reason, they want to talk to me.”

“Wow, what the hell did you do?

“I’ve got no idea, but I’ll wager it has something to do with the murder of Sabrina’s ex-husband,” Chris started to pace, his appetite suddenly gone. That was not an issue that Scott was having, he was in the process of devouring his burger and fries. “I wish they’d hurry and get the case over with. They’re stressing the both of us out,” Chris was saying, without really expecting a response from his brother. “I’m sure they realize she didn’t kill him and I think they’ve gone over her bank records to know she didn’t pay someone to do it. Besides, the bastard deserved to die years ago for what he was doing to her. Why would she have waited ten years?”

Scott watched his brother with amusement. Chris was in love with this woman and the stress she was under was having an impact on him. Even though they were miles apart; it was sweet. He was ready to start in on his questions, wanted to get to the good stuff when there was a knock on the door.

Chris moved to open the door, greeting his agent, Jim, and the FBI Agent. “Please come in, have a seat. Is there a problem if my brother stays?”

The FBI Agent stepped forward, “No, it's not an issue. Mr. Evans, my name is Brock Wilson, I’m a Special Agent with the FBI here in Los Angeles. I was asked by the Chicago office to reach out to you about some evidence in the case of Kyle Chapman. I understand you’re in a relationship with Ms. Burnham, she was considered a suspect at one time in this investigation.”

“Was a suspect? I didn’t know the case was over,” Chris was taken by surprise,”But yeah, I’m dating Ms. Burnham.”

“The case was closed earlier today, the gentleman responsible for Mr. Chapman’s murder has been arrested, and Ms. Burnham is no longer a suspect. She should be notified this evening or first thing in the morning, we’re actually trying to tie up all the loose ends at once.”

“Loose ends? I don’t get it,” Chris ran his fingers through his hair, trying to comprehend what Agent Wilson might be referring to. “I don’t see how I’m a loose end. I wasn’t a suspect or anything.”

“No, you weren’t. But you were a part of the investigation. Ms. Burnham, as you know, was being blackmailed by Mr. Chapman. We were letting you know that the most recent batch of photographs that he took, the ones she was trying to secure the night of Mr. Chapman’s death, have been recovered. They had not been compromised or leaked to anyone, and you don’t need to worry about them being released.”

Chris swallowed hard, this guy just said recent photographs. Sabrina had never mentioned there were recent photos and why in the world would the FBI be telling him that they had been secured? Wouldn’t that just be something she needed to know? It seemed that while Chris was trying to catch up, his agent was following along.

“Have the pictures been returned to Ms. Burnham?”

“They are being returned to her, yes. We have double checked through the computers and file sharing systems that Mr. Chapman had, that they had not been reproduced, saved, or uploaded anywhere.”

“And, was Chris’ image clear in any of the pictures? You know, in case they did get out?” Jim asked carefully.

This was when the alarm bell went off in Chris’ head, he came off the couch as if he had been shot out of a cannon. “What? Wait a minute, there were pictures of me? What the fuck?” His voice was less than civil and far from quiet. Scott pulled his arm, trying to get him to sit down and potentially calm down. “Leave me alone, Scott. I want an answer, I’m at a loss here because I wasn’t aware of any pictures involving me. I thought the bastard was only blackmailing her for videos he took when they were married.” He started pacing back and forth, walking toward his kitchen and back.

“Chris, come back here and let’s talk about this rationally,” Jim offered, trying to defuse the situation.

“Rationally? Had I known the son of a bitch had taken compromising pictures of me with Sabrina, I would have killed the fucker.”

Agent Wilson paled, “I was with the understanding that you were aware of this. The Chicago office told me to reach out and make sure you knew the threat was neutralized. I’m sorry, I certainly did not mean to upset you.”

Jim stood up, “Chris, I’m going to take Agent Wilson back to his office. Then I’ll come back to discuss this with you.” He could see the anger building in his client’s eyes and had a feeling that things were about to get worse. “Don’t do anything stupid; we can talk about this but just keep in mind, nothing is getting out.”

Chris gave a head nod to Jim and Agent Wilson and then took off down the hall to his bedroom. He pulled out his backpack, tossed in a few necessities and then grabbed his keys, throwing them at Scott. “I need you to drive me to the airport.”

“What? Jim told you he would be back, aren’t you going to wait for him?”

“No! I need to take care of this right now.”

“Where are you going?”

“Chicago, because Sabrina and I need to have a talk.”  
~ * ~  
After Agent Coleman had left, Sabrina had a hard time catching her breath. She called Audrey but had to leave a voice mail. She knew that Chris would be angry. She wanted to call him but had no idea what to say. Alice entered her office to remind her of a meeting that she was already late for. She tried to gather herself and walked down the hallway to the conference room.

As Sabrina entered the room, the associates could all tell that she was barely hanging on. She took her seat at the head of the table, but she did not engage in conversation. Most of the people in the room wondered if she was even listening at all.

~ * ~  
The elevator doors opened, and Chris made his way past the receptionist toward Sabrina’s office. He didn’t speak to anyone, and no one bothered to stop him. He had a look of determination on his face and in his eyes. The receptionist called back to Alice as a warning that he was on his way. As she hung up the phone, she saw him walk around the corner and quickly moved to put herself between him and Sabrina’s office door.

He exhaled and shook his head, trying to maintain composure and not explode at Alice. He wasn’t angry with her, and he needed to make sure he didn’t take it out on her. “Please move away from the door and let me see her. I don’t want to move you, but I will if I have to. You can’t protect her, not this time.”Alice gave him a half-hearted smile and tilted her head, “I’m not protecting her, she’s not in her office. I swear, Chris, she’s down the hall. There’s a meeting in the main conference room, and she’s in there,” before she could say anything else, he dropped his backpack and took off down the hall.

The large conference room had a glass wall with vertical blinds that were generally drawn closed for meetings. However, today they were pulled open, and the room was full display. There were ten people in the room, Sabrina seated at the head of the table, and her back was to the direction from where Chris was walking. Several of the associates saw him coming toward the room, but they couldn’t get a warning out to her before he flung the door open, making no apologies to anyone for interrupting.

Sabrina’s head snapped to the door, she was caught off guard to see him. His eyes were ablaze and in a hard voice he commanded, “Your office, right now!”

His tone scared her, and it showed in her eyes, but he evidently didn’t see it or didn’t care to notice. She tried to maintain her composure and save face in front of her team, “I’m in a meeting, Chris. You’ll have to wait. Just go to my office, and I will join you when this meeting has finished.” She hoped she sounded as in control as she was trying, but wasn’t so sure it was convincing.

He shook his head, ignoring what she had said to him. “No, Sabrina, we’re going to talk, now!”

She turned back to look at the associates at the table, their eyes were wide, they were unsure of what they were witnessing. They could tell she was rattled, but to their credit, no one spoke or even appeared to be breathing. Sabrina slowly pushed her chair away from the table and held onto the table for support as she pulled herself up to a standing position. She had known from the minute that Coleman told her the FBI had talked to him that he would be angry. She figured he would call her to confront her about what he had been told. It never crossed her mind that he would hop on a plane to have the confrontation in person. Right now, she had to will herself to put one foot in front of the other to move from where she was standing. She took a deep breath, looked at her team, and gave a weak “Excuse me,” before exiting the conference room with Chris falling in line behind her.

While she was scared for what was about to happen and the words that would be exchanged, she was also angry. She was angry that he had barged into her meeting and made her look like a fool in front of the people that worked for her. She looked weak in front of the people that she has always looked so strong and in command in front of. The façade of her business persona was being chipped away with the actions of one man. The two of them didn’t speak as they walked down the hall towards her office. But when they got to her door, Alice could feel the tension between the two of them. Chris leaned over and picked up his backpack before moving into Sabrina’s office.

Alice looked at Sabrina as she approached, asking quietly, “Are you going to be alright? He appears to be pretty upset.”

Sabrina slowly nodded, “No, but it’ll be okay. Just do me a favor and go home, I don’t want you to be here for this. Just go ahead and let everyone know that I’m closing the office early. I want everyone to go home,” Sabrina reached over and squeezed Alice’s hand, “Thank you.” Alice nodded and watched as a defeated Sabrina walked into her office and shut the door.

Sabrina kept her back against the door, and focused her eyes on the floor in front of her, unable to look at Chris. She was afraid of what he might say or do, the fire in his eyes in the conference room was something she had never seen before. At least not in him; it did, however, remind her of Kyle. She was having a flashback to the night she fought with Kyle, and he struck her. She began to shake slightly with the realization that was afraid Chris would raise his hand to her, but then again, his words held just as much power.

Chris was standing on the other side of her office, staring out the window onto the city street below. The silence in the room was awkward, and Sabrina wondered if he was going to speak. She decided to go ahead and talk first, get it over with, “So it’s true? The FBI spoke to you?”

He didn’t move from the window, and he didn’t look at her. His voice started out with no emotion at first, “Oh yeah, they did. Came to the house to talk to me, and it left me with a serious question,” it was at this point that he turned to look at her. His voice also began to rise, and the emotion she had expected suddenly came forward, “For the life of me, I can’t figure out why my girlfriend wouldn’t tell me the truth about the photos that her ex-husband was blackmailing her over. And why the fuck she left out that I am one of the subjects in these damn pictures?”

“You weren't supposed to find out,” her response was barely audible, and she still did not look up at him.

“For the love of God, please tell me you didn’t just say I wasn’t supposed to find out? You were going to keep something this explosive away from me?”

“I was taking care of it, paying him off. I would’ve had the pictures and destroyed them, you wouldn’t have ever known.”

“Well, that didn’t happen now, did it?” He let the question hang in the air for a minute before saying anything else. Sabrina looked up at him, realizing the anger from earlier was nothing compared to what she saw now. His eyes were full of pain; she put that there and it was not her intention. She would never hurt him on purpose, surely he knew that. “Do you have any clue what this would have done to my fucking career with Disney?” His anger was boiling over. He started to pace, and she watched him carefully, not sure of what he would do next. Since she had never seen him this upset, she didn’t know if he resorted to throwing things or if he was able to contain his emotions.

Her voice was shaky as she answered, “Yes, I do, that’s why I was trying to handle it. I was trying to do what I could to make sure your reputation stayed clean. I didn’t care what he did to me, I was focused on you.” She decided to attempt to be braver and stand up for herself, not sure if she had it in her. “It isn’t my fault that he got himself killed you know. It’s not like I anticipated that happening.”

“Don’t take that tone with me, it wasn’t your career you were playing with, it was mine. And why the fuck didn’t you just pay Kyle that night? Wasn’t that what you were supposed to do?”

“Holy shit, what do you think I was trying to do? As soon as he saw you and realized it was you in the pictures, he raised the price. I didn’t have the amount he wanted that night, I had to liquidate a few things to get him ten million dollars. I don’t have that just lying around.”

“What do you mean after he saw me?” Chris stopped pacing, putting his hands on his hips and just stared at her. He was trying to comprehend what she had just said, and he wasn’t even going to comment the price tag. There was no way she actually said ten million dollars.

“The picture of me was clear, no denying it was me. But the picture of you wasn’t. Your head was down, your tattoos aren’t visible, there are no distinguishing remarks that prove it is you. He had no idea you were famous, and when he realized it, he wanted to cash in.”

“What the fuck, you’ve actually seen the pictures? I thought he was just threatening you with them; telling you he had them,” he ran his fingers through his hair and began to pace again. Sabrina could see the vein on the side of his head starting to throb, she was afraid he was going to have a stroke. “I had no idea he actually showed them to you. This is worse than I thought, I’m honestly at a loss. Did he show them to you outside of the gala?”

Sabrina forced her eyes down to the floor again. She shook her head and replied, “I haven’t seen them all. But he sent me a few of them. He emailed them to me the day you left Chicago and went back to Los Angeles. After our first weekend together.”

“Son of a bitch, you saw these things months ago?” His voice boomed through her office and reverberated off the walls. “You’ve known about these for months and never mentioned them? When we were in Vermont and promised to tell each other the truth, you knew about them?” Sabrina said nothing but kept her head down. He took a few steps towards her, there was still a distance between them, but he closed the gap. “And when you told me how Kyle treated you and that he was blackmailing you, it never crossed your mind to say something then? When you were supposedly coming clean on everything?”

The tears began to well in her eyes, she didn’t want them to fall, but she couldn’t control them. “I was trying to protect you, I swear, Chris. When he raised the price on the pictures, I balked and told him we already had a deal. He was going to come and talk to you and try to blackmail you. I told him I’d pay him and threatened to kill him if he spoke to you,” she sniffled as the tears started down her cheeks. Chris was not expecting that; he had no idea she had actually threatened Kyle. The problem was it didn’t excuse what she had done. “I love you, Chris, and you know that. I was doing all I could to try and keep you safe.”

Chris walked across the room, he was now standing right in front of Sabrina. She was scared of what he might do, but she didn’t flinch and didn’t say a word. “It would be in your best interest to get out of my way,” he said with a curt tone.

“Please, Chris, listen to me, I was trying to protect you because I love you. I know you are angry, but can’t you see that?”

“What I see, Sabrina is that I can’t trust you. That you’ve had every opportunity to tell me the truth, and all you’ve done is lie to me.” He stared at her, watching the tears cascading down her face. A small part of him wanted to reach out to her, but the rest of him knew that he couldn’t do it or he would never walk away. “Your tears aren’t going to work on me, we’re done. I’m having a hard time looking at you right now because I’m so fucking angry. The fact that you toyed with my career and my life. You thought so little of me to keep me in the dark – I can’t trust you.”

Chris reached for the doorknob, and as he did, Sabrina moved. She realized he was going to walk out and he would open the door whether she was standing there or not. If she didn’t want to get hurt, moving was her best option. Although, the pain of the door hitting her would not compare to the pain of her heart being ripped out of her chest. The fact that he said he couldn’t trust her or look at her, those words cut right through her.

As the door opened, she told him, “Please don’t go, Chris. I love you, and I did what I did to protect you. You don’t know how hard it is for me to love unconditionally, I gave you all of me, please don’t leave me.”

Chris walked through the door and quietly said, “Don’t call me ever again, Sabrina. I said I’m done and I mean it. Your lying is what hurts the most, that’s what broke my trust, and my heart. I never thought you’d do this to me.” With those words, he slammed the door behind him.

Sabrina sank to the ground in her office and broke down. The emotions overtaking her; he had actually walked out on her.

~ * ~  
Sabrina wasn’t sure how long she had stayed on the floor of her office. She didn’t have on her watch or have her cell phone to know the time. She had no idea how long her fight was with Chris, but it felt as if it had lasted days. She pulled herself off the floor and made her way to her desk. It was almost 8 pm.

She noticed she had missed a few text messages from Audrey. Her ringer must have been off, either that or her fight with Chris was so loud that the ding of the text message was drowned out by the shouting. She dialed Audrey’s number and waited for her to answer.

“Hey, I was wondering if you were going to get back with me. I hear the FBI dropped the charges? I saw on the news that they arrested Vinnie Saldonna,” Audrey noticed that Sabrina was not responding to her questions or comments. She took the phone away from her to see if the call was still connected; it was. “Sabrina, are you okay?”

“Chris left me, Audrey,” her voice was void of emotion, she had none left.

“Oh God, where are you?” Audrey knew this was not good. She could only imagine that Chris must have found out about the pictures, it was the only thing that could have caused this.

“At my office but I need to go home. I’m going to leave when I hang up with you.”

“No, stay where you are. I’ll come and get you and take you home. I’ll be there in five minutes, can I get in the building?”

“I’ll meet you downstairs,” her words were somber, “Thanks, Audrey.” She hung up and grabbed her purse and made her way out the door. She had to prop herself up against the wall as she made her way through the office toward the elevator. She was weak, and she now understood why Audrey wanted her to stay put.

As she stepped into the elevator, she collapsed to the floor, unable to stand any longer. When the doors opened in the lobby, one of the security guards was there to help her up and out. He had noticed her fall on the elevator security camera and figured she could use the assistance. It was the only time she could recall being happy that the security cameras were there.

As she made her way into the main lobby, Audrey came running into the building. She came to Sabrina’s side and pulled her into an embrace. “I’m sorry, sweetie. Come on, Gunnar has the car out front, he’s gonna help me get you home.” Sabrina nodded, she had nothing left to put up any sort of fight.


	26. Chapter 26

Chris had to stop and catch his breath and keep from being physically ill. He could feel the bile rising in his throat, and he had to do all he could to keep it down. He was not about to be sick, he wasn’t going to let that happen. He had just walked out of Sabrina’s office and made it clear that he did not want to hear from her again. It was over. They were over. He was worried that as he stood hovering over Alice’s desk, that Sabrina would open her office door and try to follow him. Luckily enough, she didn’t. He was certain though that he could hear her crying, and that was not making his anxiety over this situation any better. He was numb, it hurt more than he could have ever expected it to. Most likely because he believed she might be ‘the one.’

He stood up, pulled his shoulders back and made his way toward the elevator and eventually out of the building. He caught a cab to the airport and tried not to replay the last 24 hours on a constant loop in his brain. He had hoped that when he got to Chicago, he would find there was a miscommunication of some sort. The FBI was wrong, and the pictures in question were only the ones of Sabrina and Kyle. But when she asked if he had talked the FBI, he realized it wasn’t a mistake. She didn’t deny that there were new pictures and she admitted he was one of the subjects in them. The worst part was when she had admitted she had known about them for months and had been keeping them from him. That was more than he was willing to accept.

The cab pulled up in front of the airport, he paid the driver, grabbed his bags and made his way through security. He tried to keep his head down and hoped that he wouldn’t be recognized or bothered. Once through security, he went straight to the private lounge to wait for the boarding of his flight. He wanted to drink; no, he wanted to get drunk and forget this trip. But he knew that was not an option. He needed to be clear headed in case he had a fan encounter or ran into the paparazzi. He couldn’t make an announcement that he was having an off day because he just broke up with his girlfriend. So, instead of the hard stuff, he opted for a beer and nursed it. He called Scott to tell him what time his flight would be getting in and asked if he could pick him up. Scott picked up on the fact that Chris’ voice was cold and unemotional, he knew not to ask any questions now.

The boarding announcement was made for his flight, and Chris made his way to the gate. He moved slowly and took care not to be in the first boarding. In fact, he wanted to be one of the last ones. There was an advantage when flying first class, to boarding last. No one would stare at him as they passed him to go to their seat and they wouldn’t ask for a selfie. Right now, he was not in the mood to be remotely polite. He didn’t want to be an ass to any of his fans, but this was why he liked the idea of anonymity.

Luckily enough, first class was light for this trip. He had no one sitting next to him, and he was reasonably sure he could have his privacy. He pulled his hat down a little further, put his head against the window and tried to get some sleep. The flight attendant even left him alone, which he appreciated. Had she talked to him, he would have been tempted to ask for a drink. If he had a drink, he wouldn’t have slept, and honestly, he needed the sleep more.

The plane touched down and, unlike the boarding, he was anxious to quickly exit. When the door opened, he had his bag in hand and practically sprinted off the plane and down the jetway. He made his way through the terminal and seemed to go unnoticed. As he exited onto the street, he scanned the line of cars and found Scott. He made his way over to the car and quickly jumped into the passenger seat. He said nothing as he fastened his seatbelt and waited for the car to pull into traffic.

Scott knew his brother’s emotions and body language well enough to know not to ask questions. Plus, this Chris was quite reminiscent of the Chris who got in the car after his first trip to Chicago; and Scott knew from that trip, when Chris doesn’t look happy, don’t push! He’ll talk when he is ready, whenever that might be. For this trip, he wasn’t willing to speak until well after they got back to the house.

Chris got out of the car and practically marched toward the front door. Once inside he tossed his backpack across the room and made his way towards the kitchen. Now that he was home, he was ready to drink. He poured a glass of whiskey, all while his brother leaned against the wall and silently watched his every move.

Chris noticed his brother’s gaze and waited. He was sure Scott would say something, but he was silent. Finally, Chris barked at him, “Go ahead, ask or say whatever is on your mind.”

Scott shifted his stance, “So, do you want to talk about it? I mean, I know what the FBI told you before you left, but do you want to talk about what happened with Sabrina?”

“Not really, I don’t,” Chris swallowed the contents of his glass and hastily poured another drink. He looked over at his brother and spit out the words, “We broke up, that’s what happened, end of story.”

“I’m sorry, I am. Was it your decision or hers?” Scott hated to ask such specific questions, but if his brother wasn’t going to volunteer answers, he was going to pull teeth to get them.

Chris took emptied the contents of his glass once more and began to fill it again. “Mine. She knew about the fucking pictures all along and never told me. Who in the hell hides that sort of shit?” His words were bitter.

“Was she just trying to protect you? I mean, okay, she went about it the wrong way, and I get that, but did she at least explain herself?”

“Don’t defend her, you’ve never even met her.”

“I’m not defending her, I’m trying to understand the entire situation, that’s all. Don’t get mad at me for trying to understand it and help you through it.”

Chris downed his drink and slammed his glass on the counter. “She could have ruined my career. If those pictures had gotten out, Disney and Marvel would have fired my ass.”

“Yeah, but they didn’t get out. So the two of you are breaking up over a what could have been?” Scott ran his hand through his hair, “Look before you think I’m turning my back on supporting my big brother, I’m just asking questions. I know that you love her, and from what you’ve said she feels the same way about you. I just hate to see you throw this away if there is a way to salvage it, that’s all.”

“Her idea of protecting me was to buy the pictures back and never let me know they existed. How fucked up is that?”

Scott pushed himself off the wall and walked over to take a seat at the bar, directly across from his brother. “What would you have done if the roles were reversed? Would you move heaven and hell to protect her?”

“That’s a stupid question,” Chris spat at him.

“No, it’s not. Think about it a minute. She’s got a successful career, and her reputation means quite a bit. Wouldn’t you want to protect her if she were the subject of pictures that had been taken of you by a jealous ex?”

“It is different. I’m the face of a brand, Scott. Her decision could have gotten me fired and had a significant impact on my career going forward. But her keeping the pictures quiet is only part of it.” He had never told his brother everything about the trip to Vermont or what had transpired between them. “We got really honest with one another on our vacation, promise we wouldn’t lie to one another. This was when we admitted that we loved one another and there would be no secrets between us.”

Chris poured one more drink. This was going to be his last, he was starting to get just drunk enough to tell Scott everything. He knew that his brother was trying to be supportive and was only trying to help. But he hated that he was defending his actions, probably because he already knew that he was second guessing them himself.

He emptied his glass, “She almost died because she kept secrets, so we weren’t going to do that anymore. Then when we were at the gala, I saw her with this guy. They were arguing, and she seemed really upset. When we got back to the apartment, she admitted that it was her ex-husband. I never knew she was married before, she had been keeping that secret even when we said no secrets. But I gave her a pass because I understood her reasoning. But I straight up asked if there was anything else that she was keeping secret that I needed to know. She looked me in the eye and told me no.”

“I’m sorry, Chris. I know this has to hurt. I just feel bad for both of you, I just can’t help but think she was trying to protect you. Maybe I just want that to be the case.”

“She said she was trying to protect me, she used those words. But she lied to me, over and over again. I can’t let that happen again.”  
“I get it, you love her, but she broke your trust,” Scott replied softly. “You do still love her, right?”

“It’s irrelevant, I can’t trust her, and you can’t have a relationship if there is no trust.”

“She broke your heart didn’t she?”

Chris didn’t answer the question, but he didn’t have to. Scott was pretty sure he knew the answer. Chris walked out of the kitchen and down the hall to his room and slammed his bedroom door. Scott was then positive that he knew the answer.

~ * ~  
Audrey and Gunnar led Sabrina through the parking garage toward the elevator. On the short drive from the office to the apartment building, Sabrina did not say anything. She sat in the backseat and stared out the window, she almost seemed catatonic. Gunnar took the elevator keycard from her, as well as the apartment keys, and took control of getting them upstairs. In the time that Audrey had worked for him, they had become very close. They weren’t dating, it would be unprofessional. However, they spent so much time together it was only semantics that it wasn’t considered dating. They both knew it.

When Gunnar opened the door, Sabrina breezed past him and entered her office nook. She plopped down on the couch and stared out the window in quiet contemplation. Audrey went into the kitchen and made some hot tea, taking Sabrina a cup, thinking it might soothe her. She didn’t acknowledge that it was brought in and never drank it.

Gunnar had poured a glass of wine for him and Audrey. The two of them had retreated to the couch in Sabrina’s living area. They were trying to figure out the best way to get Sabrina to open up. Both of them had taken turns to go back and check on their “patient, ” but each time they noticed she never moved, and never drank her tea.

Audrey took a sip from her wine glass, “I’m worried that she will end up tossing herself back into work like she did before. We’ll have a repeat performance of her collapse, but this time it’ll be worse. I’m scared to death she’ll end up killing herself, and I’ve got no idea how to stop it.”

“She didn’t tell you about the fight they had?”

Audrey shook her head, “No, just that he left her. It must have been bad, though, he wouldn’t just walk away like that.”

“He walked away from you like that,” Gunnar stated matter of factly, then took a drink from his own wine glass.

“That’s different, and you know it. I elected to tell him I had feelings for him while his girlfriend was lying in a hospital bed after collapsing. He was angry with me.”

“So, he was angry with her, and he walked away. It’s a pattern, that’s all I’m saying.”

Audrey didn’t respond right away, but Gunnar had a point. If Chris gets furious he can walk away, it is probably his defense mechanism. He hadn’t come back around to her yet, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t come back around to Sabrina. Maybe he just needed some time to sort things out in his head. “You know this fight had to do with those damn pictures and Kyle. I’m not sure how it all fits, but I’ll guarantee that’s the heart of it.”

There was an awkward silence. As Gunnar was preparing to response, he was stopped by Sabrina’s voice, “He said he can’t trust me, that’s why he left.” The tears spilled down her cheeks as she spoke the words.

Audrey leaned forward and put her glass down on the table, then stood up and made her way over to Sabrina. Pulling her into an embrace. Sabrina needed a hug and support, and Audrey was glad that she could be there for her. “Come over here and sit down with us, tell us all about it.”

Sabrina sat down, and Gunnar protectively put his arm around her while she recounted the entire situation. They were stunned that the FBI had broken the news to Chris when it wasn’t their place to do so. While Audrey was upset how it played out, in the back of her mind, she could completely sympathize with Chris’ reaction. Although, as Sabrina’s friend, she could understand why she handled it the way she did. Her friend is broken, and while Chris might have said he understood, it had become clear that he didn’t really know what that meant. At least not in Sabrina’s case.

“Did you try to explain to him that you were trying to protect him?” Gunnar asked cautiously.

“I did, but he said that I was playing with fire and with his career. He had a right to know.”

“I guess I can see that,” Gunnar quietly responded.

“I didn’t want him to worry, he has enough to worry about. He’s off working on a movie,” Sabrina sniffled, and her voice was starting to shake, “I wanted him to focus on his movie and not worry about me or anything else. I was doing what I thought was right, you know? I was trying to think of someone other than myself, worry about the man I love and all I did was fuck it all up.”

Gunnar pulled her towards him, rubbing her arm and trying to soothe her. He looked up at Audrey and could see the emotion on her face, this was killing her, too. He reached out for her with his free hand; taking her hand in his, he squeezed to show her some support as well. The three of them sat in silence.

Audrey finally decided to break the silence, “Sabrina, has Chris seen the pictures? Did the FBI show them to him?”

“No, I don’t think so. They just told him they recovered them and they had not been uploaded anywhere.”

“Maybe he needs to see them. You said that he can’t be identified, right?” Sabrina nodded her head in silent agreement. “Well, maybe if he sees what you saw he will understand it more.”

Gunnar decided to chime in, “You mean, if he realizes that he was never distinguishable, his career wasn’t in as much jeopardy as he thought, and his anger is a bit misplaced?”

“Exactly! His argument is that she was messing with his career. If she can show him that his career wasn’t in peril, then maybe we can clear it all up.”

Sabrina listened to the two of them. They were taking it as if this was a court case and they were presenting evidence to clear their client. She was intrigued, but they were missing the point. “Guys, I appreciate what you’re trying to do. But it doesn’t negate the fact that I lied to him. He is more upset that I lied and broke his trust, and I get it, I do.” Sabrina stood up from the couch, leaving her two friends stunned. She walked around the coffee table and towards the kitchen before turning back to face them.

“Look, I dug this grave or made this bed. Use whatever metaphor you want. But I lied and kept secrets, from everyone,” her eyes were conveying the sadness she felt, but this time there were no tears. “Audrey, if I had been open and honest with you, I could have taken care of Kyle’s shit years ago. But I didn’t, and it led me to this place. I did this to myself. I’ve used the excuse for years that Kyle did this to me, but maybe it wasn’t him at all, it was me. I’m my own worst enemy.”

Audrey stood up and started to walk toward Sabrina. But Sabrina put her hand up to stop her, “No, don’t. I’ve done this to myself and have used the excuse that I was broken. I let what Kyle did to me define me instead of rising above it and moving on. I’ve lived in fear, and it cost me my best friend and the man I was willing to give up everything for.”

Sabrina turned and walked up to the stairs, but she didn’t go into her bedroom. Instead, she went to the end of the hallway and into the large guestroom, the mirror opposite of the master. She took over her shoes and then climbed into the four-poster bed and cried herself to sleep.

~ * ~  
Several days had passed, and Sabrina had not gone back to work. Alice spoke to her daily and handled her messages and cleared her calendar, but Sabrina couldn’t bring herself to go into the office. Audrey had come over to check on her, and the two of them had taken the time to discuss the past.

Sabrina had expressed regret over not bring completely open in the past, “I wish I would have told you about Kyle from the beginning.” Her words were softly spoken, but Audrey could tell it was hard for her to get them out.

“Why didn’t you? I’m not judging, Sabrina, I swear. I’m just trying to understand.”

“You know how hard I had to work to prove myself. No one wanted to give me a fair shake, I was a woman in a male-dominated field. Hell, even my own family had doubts about me being able to pull this off,” she had never talked openly about the struggles within her own family to prove herself worthy. While they were aware she had talent and the brains for the job, no one believed she had the cut-throat mentality that would be needed to succeed. “I was finally proving myself when things fell apart with Kyle. If I had filed the domestic abuse charges or fought him hard on the divorce, I would have looked like a weak woman. An emotional female who couldn’t stand up for herself and let a man dominate her.”

“Don’t you realize that is what you did? You let him walk all over you; you rolled over and became submissive.”

“Ironic isn’t it? I was afraid of being dragged through the mud and having my name sullied and in the end, all I achieved was proving how weak and vulnerable I really am. I’m a joke, Audrey. A fraud, a fake, I can’t show my face to the people in the office and pretend to be this wise woman who is in control when I am anything but.”  
“Now you're just hard on yourself. You were misguided, that’s all.”

“Sure, that’s it,” Sabrina scoffed at the remark. “I need to accept responsibility for myself, I messed up my life, not Kyle. Oh, don’t get me wrong, he was a jackass. But I did this to myself, I can’t blame him for everything.”

“No, you can’t, but when you’re damaged you can’t always make the right decisions,” Audrey paused, she tried to form her next statement carefully. “Have you considered going to therapy to work your way through all of this?”

Sabrina dropped her head and slowly shook it in defeat, “I haven’t even considered it. What good would it do me now? I’ve already lost Chris, therapy won’t get him back.”

“Maybe not, but it could keep the guilt from eating away at you. Allow you to sleep and make it through each day. Could even get you to a point where you could call him again, maybe try and explain what you were going through.”

Sabrina looked up at Audrey, her eyes flashed fear, “I can’t ever talk to him again and you know that. He told me to never call him again.”

“It’s amazing what time and distance can offer to people, Sabrina. You might be surprised at the clarity that could come from it.”

“I wish I hadn’t messed up our relationship so bad, Audrey. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you’re here with me now, and we’re talking. But, I wish things had not gotten out of hand between us. Maybe if I didn’t date Chris in the first place, we would never have had that horrible fight, and you would still be working at Burnham Design.”

“Don’t, you’re not the reason we had a fight, and I left. I was to blame as well, and you will do good to remember that. Quit shouldering all the blame because you are feeling bad about what happened with Chris. I pushed you and him together, and I did it while I was fully aware I had feelings for him,” Audrey reached across the table and took Sabrina’s hand and then looked into the eyes of her friend. “I wasn’t honest with you, so I’m just as guilty here. How about we both stop kicking ourselves over it and realize there’s enough blame for our friendship blowing up and we move past it and start over?”

“I’ve missed you, Audrey. I’m sorry I fell in love with the guy you had feelings for.”

“I’ve missed you too, Sabrina. And honestly, Chris was a better fit for you than he would have been for me. I’m sorry he walked away from you.”

“Is there any way I could get you to quit working for Gunnar and come back to work for me?” Sabrina said with a laugh.

“Well, if he wants to sleep with me, I may take you up on that! I don’t think I can work with him and sleep with him at the same time. It might make it awkward in the office.”

~ * ~  
Audrey was pacing back and forth in her office, her cell phone in her hand but resting against her lips. She had a mental argument with herself over whether to make the call or not. Her head told her not to, it would not do any good and would possibly make things worse. But her heart, well it wanted to fix this for everyone.  
Gunnar walked past the office and poked his head in, “Are you still trying to decide if you are going to call him?”

“Yeah,” she answered without looking at him or even stopping her pacing. “Maybe I’d be better off calling his brother and seeing what he has to say.” She finally stopped pacing and turned to look at Gunnar. He had stepped into her office and made himself comfortable on the couch, his ankle resting on his knee, his hands interlaced behind his head. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Oh, absolutely. You are so worked up over this, and it’s adorable. But I think you should keep you nose out of it. Chris didn’t want to hear from Sabrina, so I believe he wants to get over this.”

“He wouldn’t wouldn't hear from Sabrina, he’d be hearing from me,” she pushed out her bottom lip in a pout.

“Right, and you wouldn’t be speaking on her behalf? Come on, his friendship with you has been tenuous at best. Don’t you think you’re pushing it a little by even thinking of calling him?”

“Probably,” she had a gleam in her eye as she said the word, “But, I need to know if he is as miserable as she is.”

Gunnar pushed himself off the couch and walked over to Audrey. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her square in the eyes, “You’re going to do what you want, I’m not going to stop you. But I’m not going to sit in here and watch you do it, either.” He leaned forward, giving her a soft kiss, “I’ll talk to you later.” He gave her one more kiss and then let go of her shoulders and walked out of her office and back towards his own.

She made her decision, sat on the couch and dialed his number. The phone rang three times before he answered. When he said ‘hello’ his voice was soft and almost resigned. He answered but didn’t want to.

“Hi, Chris. I thought I’d call to check on you, see how you’re doing.”

“After all this time, no is when you want to check in on me?” His tone was less than friendly, and he winced after saying it, realizing he didn’t need to be so harsh. “Sorry, Audrey, I shouldn’t have said it like that.”

“It’s okay, I kinda deserve it. I’ve been hesitant to call you for several reasons. Primarily for what happened at the hospital. I guess I owe you an apology for ambushing you like that.”

“It’s okay, Audrey. I think that’s all water under the bridge. How are things with you and Gunnar?”

“Good, we’re sorta seeing one another. Nothing serious, but we’re taking it slow. He’s a good guy, and I’ve known him for years,” Audrey’s voice trailed off, she wasn’t sure how to approach the subject of Sabrina. She finally decided to just address it head on. “Are you doing alright since your break up with Sabrina?”

“You know about that, huh?”

“Yeah, she told me. She’s pretty upset about it, and I think she has some regrets. What about you?”

“I have no regrets, if that’s what you're asking,” once again his voice had gone cold. “What are you hoping to accomplish with this call, Audrey? Are you thinking I’m going to say I owe her an apology? Because I don’t and I’m not changing my mind.”

She was suddenly regretting the fact that she made the call. “No, I don’t know what I was expecting. I’m sorry I called,” she was preparing to hang up when he stopped her.

“Don’t hang up, look, I’m sorry. This is still raw, and it hurts like hell. I feel weird talking to you about it, after what happened at the hospital and all,” now it was his turn to let his voice trail off. He paused to gather his thoughts before starting again, “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable, Audrey, but I love her, and it hurts that I walked away. It’s killing me, but I can’t trust her, she lied one too many times. I’ll get over the hurt, but the trust is harder to win back.”

Audrey sighed heavily, she wanted him to hear it, wanted him to hear how hard it was going to be for her to speak. “Chris, I’m going to say this to you and then I’m going to drop it. I don’t agree with her tactics, but I understand why she did it. I saw the pictures, all of them, I know she had only seen a few when Kyle asked for the money, though. But no one would know it was you, there is nothing distinguishable about you in the pictures. Even if they had gotten out, you wouldn’t have been singled out, and Disney wouldn’t have fired you.”

“She showed you the pictures? When?”

“Two days ago, I asked to see them and told her that you should see them. Look, I don’t condone that she didn’t tell you about them, but she was scared and didn’t want you to worry. She wanted to take care of it for you, protect you. She’s been broken for a long time, that bastard did a number on her regarding what a relationship is supposed to be like. She was happy with you and didn’t want to lose that, she was afraid if you knew about Kyle and what he had done or was doing, she was sure you would walk away from her.”

“I’m nothing like Kyle, Audrey. I would have never treated her like he did,” he ran his hand along his jaw, across his beard. “When we were arguing in her office, she doesn’t think I noticed, but I did. She started to shake when my voice got loud, I believe she was afraid I was going to hit her. That almost made me physically ill, I would never raise my hand to her.”

“Oh, Chris, she didn’t tell me that,” Audrey’s heart broke with that realization. The pain on both sides was, indeed, rooted. “I know you wouldn’t physically harm her, and I think she knows that. But when it’s happened to you once, you automatically expect it again. She was not doing anything to hurt you on purpose. If you believe nothing else, you have to believe that.”

“How did the FBI end up knowing it was me? For that matter, how did Kyle?”

“From what Sabrina told me, Kyle was using a security guard at the building to give intel on when she was in the apartment. The guard told Kyle that she had a man with her, and told him your name. But Chris Evans isn’t an uncommon name, you know? So, Kyle never put it together that the guy in the picture was famous. But when you showed up at the gala with Sabrina, it clicked for him. When she went to pay him, he asked for more money and threatened to come to you directly.”

“Okay, but how did the FBI know? I don’t get how they fit into this whole thing,” Chris questioned.

“Kyle was an FBI informant, helping them bring down a mob boss. The night of the gala, Kyle had a meeting with the guy, so he was wearing a recording device. He met with Sabrina before the mob meeting, so his entire conversation with Sabrina was recorded. That’s why she was a suspect, they had her on audio threatening to kill him and had Kyle asking for ten million dollars. The FBI knew it was you in the pictures because of their conversation.”

“Well if he was wearing a wire, then they knew she didn’t tell me about the pictures and they knew she didn’t kill him. So, why did they feel the need to go after her or even come to me?”

“They used Sabrina as a decoy without her consent. With the focus of the investigation being on her, if they had any leaks in the department, they would tell the mob that Sabrina was the killer. That allowed them to build the case against the mob and the right suspect, Vinnie Saldonna, without him suspecting a thing. I guess they figured she would have told you about the pictures and wanted to make sure you knew they were safe; not realizing she never said a word.”

“How is she holding up? I mean, with the case being closed and all, is she doing better?”

“She’s a wreck. But she did get some good news, the FBI found the offshore accounts where Kyle had been hiding some of the money he had been taking from her. She’s getting it back, so that is good. But overall, she’s miserable.”

“I’m glad she is getting some of the money back, that is good news for her. I’m sorry that things ended the way they did, Audrey. Maybe one day I can talk to her, but right now, I can’t.”

“Do you still love her, Chris?”

Her question was met with silence. Audrey wasn’t sure he was going to answer, and she was just about to save face and say goodbye when she heard him clear his throat. It seemed as if he was holding back his emotions, “Yeah, I do and I probably always will. But without trust, there’s no reason to continue.”


	27. Chapter 27

It had been eight months since the FBI had told Sabrina she was no longer a suspect in the murder of her ex-husband, Kyle Chapman. Eight months since the FBI told Chris that he was the subject of pictures that Sabrina was being blackmailed for and had subsequently withheld from him. Eight months since the major fight in her office where Chris confronted her about the pictures and then broke up with her; walking out of her office and out of her life. Sabrina Burnham was not the same woman today that she was eight months ago, she was pretty sure Chris wouldn’t recognize her now if he saw her.

Where she once walked tall and proud, commanding the room when she walked in. She now barely left her apartment and hardly went into the office. Her time alone had provided an opportunity for reflection, and she realized she needed to make some drastic changes in her life. Her career and reputation had dictated her life, skewing her basis of reality and causing her to hide truths for fear of the repercussions. Now the job she once loved, repulsed her. Her heart wasn’t in it, and she lacked the drive and determination to move forward as she had been doing for the previous ten plus years. Where she once loved the creative process of designing a building and watching it come alive, she no longer had a desire to go after large projects and design them herself. Instead, she left that to the members of her team.

Her depression was deep enough that she even wrestled with the idea of closing the company completely. She figured with her connections she could help the staff land new positions, but overall Burnham Design Group would close their doors, never to reopen. While her remaining family would no doubt be disappointed, it wasn’t as if they were involved in the business. Heck, they hardly spoke to her anyway, so she wasn’t that concerned with what they thought about her.

However, Audrey hated the idea and was not quiet with her opinion. She told Sabrina that if she were to shut down the company, she would regret it within weeks of doing so. Instead, she encouraged her to look for an Executive Vice President or General Manager to run the business operations. Making the case that this would allow Sabrina to step away but keep the company running. It would also enable Sabrina to have someplace to come back to when the pain had healed, and work became a sanctuary again.

After some contemplation, she agreed with Audrey’s recommendation. It was a better idea, and at least keeping the company running would provide her income. She immediately reached out to a local agency to initiate a nationwide search for the perfect person to compliment the company, helping it to continue on its path to prosperity. After countless interviews, she found the perfect fit with Morgan Walsh, a high-powered executive from Seattle. Morgan had worked at the same firm for years but was looking for a new challenge. She liked what she saw with Burnham Design and had a tremendous amount of respect for Sabrina. Morgan felt like this was a dream opportunity falling into her lap.

Morgan had been on the job for three months when Sabrina decided to step away. She gave up her office, allowing Morgan the city view and the large windows. In reality, Sabrina wanted to move due to the memories the office held. It had become increasingly difficult to work in the room, and she continually looked for solitude in small conference rooms to avoid being in her office. Sabrina relocated to a smaller office adjacent to her current location. This allowed her to maintain access to Alice, as she was not willing to completely part with her trusted executive assistant.

Sabrina had not only made changes in the office, but she made changes at the apartment as well. She had, at one point, thought about putting the apartment up for sale. Once again, Audrey stepped in and told her to rethink the decision. She told her that she was making too many life changing decisions at once, it would cause her to have a mental breakdown if she wasn’t careful. Sabrina took heed, electing to stay but was adamant that the apartment had some renovations for her to stay. To this, Audrey could agree.

The large guest room at the end of the hallway was a mirror opposite for the master bedroom. This would become the new master and Sabrina would never stay in her old bedroom again. She could not bring herself to sleep in the bed she shared with Chris or look out the window that Kyle had peeked through. Audrey and Gunnar helped her move her clothes and items from the bathroom. She then shut the door to the old bedroom and vowed never to reopen it.

~ * ~  
In the eight months since his relationship with Sabrina had ended, Chris had been pouring himself into his work. Between the pre-production for the movie he was directing, he was also reading potential scripts for acting roles. For the most part, it was as if he was just going through the motions. Everyone knew that when Chris was working he was focused, but this felt like something else. He had never shared with his friends what had happened with Sabrina. His relationship with her had never gone public and since he had been working when it was going on and when it fell apart, it never came up. His friends that had seen him with her at the wedding in Chicago had no idea they dated after he left the city, so they never asked about her.

After weeks of asking, Chris finally succumbed to his friends’ requests and agreed to go out to dinner with them. There was an extended group going out for a celebration; they thought it would be good for Chris to blow off some steam. Little did he know, his friends were setting him up that night. They wanted him to meet a young woman who worked at one of the major studios, not the one that would be producing his new movie. She was a lovely young lady with a vibrant personality and curves in all the right places. His friends thought she was perfect for him. To be honest, Chris was less than thrilled when he arrived at the restaurant and figured out what was going on. But after meeting her, he changed his mind. The two of them had an instant chemistry and found it very easy to chat with one another about everything and nothing. He was pleasantly surprised that he was enjoying himself. By the end of the evening, they had exchanged phone numbers and said they would like to see one another again.

Chris had no interest, however, in having any romantic relationship. He wanted to focus on his movie projects and give himself time to get over Sabrina. It was that last part that was the hardest. The film he was working on was a drama and had romance, and every bit of it reminded him of her. He wasn’t sure if he would make it through the film in one piece; he was just thankful that he was just behind the camera on this one.

He slowly started to spend more time with his new lady friend. They would grab dinner or drinks, sometimes even just talk on the phone, it was all very casual and friendly. He was honest with her from the beginning about his intentions, no romance, friendship only. She agreed, saying that her schedule was just as busy as his and it would be hard to make dating a priority. Although, after several weeks of hanging out, the chemistry was getting stronger and the two decided to casually date. Again, he was clear, don’t expect me to be serious and don’t expect more than I can give you. He explained that he just came out of a rather messy relationship and he wasn’t able to do that again, at least not now, it was too soon.

Their casual dating had continued through the remainder of the movie pre-production, and they were preparing to go on location for the actual filming. He had gotten into a bit of a scrum with the studio over this due to the budget and potential incentives. The movie took place in New York, but the cost of filming there was high, at least for the locations they would have to use. The studio had worked out a deal to make the movie in Chicago and had received quite a few incentives to do so. When Chris found out, he hit the roof. He put his foot down and said he did not want to film in Chicago; he had personal reasons for his decisions, but he would not go to Chicago. In his production notes, he had indicated that he had location ideas for Dallas or Pittsburgh. Hell, he could even come up with locations in Indianapolis since that would be cheaper. But if the studio insisted on Chicago, he would walk. The studio blinked, production moved to Pittsburgh.

Filming would last two months, and then he would be back in Los Angeles for the post-production work. He would exchange text messages or calls with his girlfriend on a daily basis. Although he had told her that he would be busy and not always available when she reached out, although he tried to take her call every time. The problem was, she wanted more. While she told him that she understood his need for going slow and not wanting a relationship, in reality, she was pushing for more. She complained to her friends that things were not progressing fast enough and he didn’t pay enough attention to her. She had every intention to ramp up the romance when he got back to LA.

~ * ~  
Sabrina and Audrey had started to spend more time together, rebuilding their friendship and moving forward. While Audrey didn’t work for Sabrina, she had become a confidant and advisor. It was helpful to Sabrina; she wasn’t sure how much she could trust Morgan, although she was doing a great job and seemed to be fitting in. She just wasn’t sure if they were completely on the same page and she needed someone to talk to that could understand her position; Audrey was that person.

Sabrina had also spent lots of time trying to get Audrey to come back to Burnham Design. While Audrey was thriving at Gunnar’s firm, she had to admit that she did miss some of the excitement that came with her previous job. Sabrina held the position of President at Burnham Design and had given Morgan the role of Vice President and General Manager. This meant that Morgan ran the daily operations and reported everything to Sabrina. While this was working, the wheels were spinning, and she had a better idea.

“Audrey, I know you’re happy at Gunnar’s firm and it is probably out of line for me to do this, but I want you to come back to Burnham Design. I could use you there, and it might be good for your relationship with Gunnar, as well.”

Audrey eyed her friend cautiously, “You don’t need me, you’ve got George Tate. The last time we talked about him, you said he was doing a great job as General Counsel, so why would you need me to come back?”

A smile spread across Sabrina’s face. Audrey had not categorically said no, she was testing the waters. Maybe, just maybe, she was getting through to her. “I don’t want you to come back as General Counsel. I’d like you to come back and take the helm as President of the company.”

Audrey was stunned, she wasn’t quite sure how to react to what she had just heard. It took a few minutes before her brain could register a proper response, “Are you serious? What about you? That’s your role in the company, why are you asking me to do this?”

Sabrina let out a laugh; she thought it was funny at how confused her friend appeared to be at the mention of this idea. “Morgan is doing well; she seems to get the vision I have always had for the company. But honestly, I just don’t have the desire to go into the office. I can’t concentrate, and it’s frustrating. I don’t mind doing the design, hell, I long for it. I just don’t want all of the stuff that goes along with it.”

“You didn’t answer my question. If I became the company President, where do you fit in?”

“We have a Board of Directors, well it’s always been an informal thing and maybe it’s time to formalize it. I’d become the Chairman of the Board. Or would that be Chairwoman?” She started to laugh at her own joke, “Anyway, I let you do the strategic thinking, and as a Board we have approvals, and that dictates how Morgan runs the business.”

“I need to talk to Gunnar about this,” Audrey stood up from the table and walked over to the window looking out over the river. She had to admit the offer intrigued her. She had never given consideration to running a company, but now that it was in front of her, it was a fantastic offer.

“If you’re worried about compensation, I promise I’ll take care of you,” Sabrina offered, without hesitation or prompting.

Audrey turned back to look at her, “I wasn’t worried about that, I had no doubt you would. I just never considered this as an option. It’s a big decision, and I need to know what Gunnar thinks about it.”

“Well, you told me you would consider coming back to work for me if Gunnar wanted to sleep with you. Considering you two are officially dating, it seems like this is a realistic possibility now, right?” Sabrina raised her eyebrows and looked at her friend with a smirk. “I don’t want to make it weird with you two, seriously, I don’t. I have never asked you how easy or hard it might be to work with the guy you’re sleeping with and what it does to the dynamic of your relationship. For the record, this isn’t me asking now, either.”

“No, I get that. I’m floored that you are even considering this offer. But it’s a big move, something I can’t just jump into.”

“Think about it, talk to Gunnar and let me know.” Sabrina stood up and started walking toward her office; she turned toward Audrey, “Follow me a second.”

Audrey walked from the window and joined her friend in her office. The room, like it’s owner, had undergone changes in the past few months. The clutter of a hectic work life was all but gone. A large bookcase had been installed along the back wall, and Sabrina’s library had grown immensely. The couch had been replaced with an oversized chair with an afghan thrown across the back. She had even put in a new floor lamp for lighting.

The large work desk was gone, replaced by a smaller desk with her laptop and printer. The only remnant of the old space was the drawing table. It still held a prominent location in the room and from the papers on the table, Audrey could see that Sabrina had been keeping busy with a design of some sort. Sabrina pulled an envelope from the small desk drawer and provided it to Audrey.

“This is a formal offer letter. I took the liberty of writing it up and outlining exactly what I intend to do and how I want to achieve it.” She smiled as Audrey took the envelope from her hand, “I knew your answer would be to speak with Gunnar. Since he’s an attorney, he’d have a lot of questions, so I put it in writing. I mean, I realize you're a lawyer too, but you know things he doesn’t so he is going to ask questions that you wouldn’t think to ask.” Her smiled widened as she spoke the words.

“You were trying to think of everything, weren’t you?” Audrey asked while shaking her head in disbelief. She turned back to the drafting table, “What have you been working on?” She took a few steps towards the table and began to shuffle the drawings and papers. She couldn’t believe what she was looking at, “You’re designing a house?”

“I was, but I’ve stopped. And it was a log cabin, actually,” Sabrina moved to take the papers from Audrey’s hands and restack them on the table. But Audrey wasn’t letting them go; she was staring at them carefully.

“Sabrina, this is amazing. What in the world made you do this? I thought you said years ago that you’d never do residential stuff.” There was no response to her question. She kept looking at the drawings and then something caught her eye, the name of the project in the lower corner of the drafting document. She said the words softly, “Chris’ Sanctuary. You were designing this for him?” Audrey looked back at Sabrina and noticed she was doing her best to hold it together.

“Yeah,” was the only thing she was able to get out. It wasn’t particularly elegant, but it was all that was needed to make Audrey understand.

“Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that, or I wouldn’t have pushed. But you’ve got to know it's incredible. The design is unique, and you should finish it off and build it. Not for him, but for you.”

“Maybe one day. Right now, I’m not ready.”

~ * ~  
Movie production was moving ahead of schedule, which was almost unheard of. There was a good chance that Chris would be able to head home to LA a day or two earlier than expected. He wasn’t going to complain about that, it was a blessing, and he could use the downtime. The movie had not run into any issues; he had been lucky with this cast.

“Scott, are you still staying at my house?” He had called to make sure he didn’t have any surprises when he got home.

“Yeah, the plumbing in the apartment building still isn’t fixed. Is it is a problem that I’m here?”

“Only if you’re having parties and wrecking the place,” he laughed and then cleared his throat. “Hey, look, I’m coming home, taking a late flight tonight. I don’t need you to pick me up; I’ll get a ride home, but I just didn’t want any surprises when I got home. If you catch my drift.”

“I’ll tell everyone to keep their clothes on, and we’ll skip the wild sex party tonight. So, yeah, I get what you're saying,” Scott began to laugh at his brother. “You sure you don’t need me to pick you up?”

“No, I’m good. I’m not telling anyone that I’m coming home early, other than you. Can you keep it to yourself, please?”

“You don’t want your new woman knowing, is that it?”

“Yeah, that’s it. I’m not trying to be an ass, I just need some downtime, for a night at least.”

Scott told his brother that he understood and that he would make sure he had the downtime he needed. As promised, Scott did not have anyone over at the house that night. In fact, he had cooked dinner for a few friends and sent them home well before Chris’ plane would have gotten in. He saved some food for him, making a plate and putting it in the fridge. Then turned on a lamp, left his brother a note about the food, and went to bed.

At first, Chris thought something was wrong. The house was dark, no activity. He opened the door and saw the light on and Scott’s note. He appreciated that his brother kept food for him, but he just wanted to go to bed. He locked up the house, turned off the lamp and made his way to his room. He toed off his shoes, but didn’t bother undressing, he pulled back the sheets and crawled into bed, falling asleep almost instantaneously.

When he woke the next morning, Scott was making breakfast. The smell of bacon, eggs, and coffee wafted down the hallway. Chris pulled the covers back and got out of bed, heading straight towards the kitchen.

“Wow, look who decided to get up!” Scott exclaimed as he saw his brother coming into view. “It’s almost 10 am; I thought you were gonna sleep all day.”

“Damn, I didn’t realize it was so late. Thanks for letting me sleep, I guess I needed it.”

“No worries, I checked on you when I got up. I did take your phone, though, it’s over there on the table. I was afraid it would start blowing up with calls and texts, and I didn’t want them to wake you.”

“Thanks,” Chris offered as he walked over and picked up his phone. Noticing he had several text messages from his girlfriend and a missed call from his mother. “Did you talk to mom this morning? She called me, do I need to be worried about anything?”

“I talked to her; she was just calling to see how you were doing. I told her you’d call when you woke up and had coffee in you. How are things with your new girlfriend going?”

“Ugh, okay I guess,” his response was less than enthusiastic. “I think she’s getting antsy because I am still saying I don’t want a serious relationship. I’m okay with the casual stuff; I’m not seeing anyone else, but I am not in the right headspace for anything serious.”

“Does she know about Sabrina? Did you tell her about that whole situation?”

“No, I didn’t tell her. I mean, she knows I was in a relationship, and it ended, but I didn’t tell her details. It isn’t for anyone to know, I mean the family is different, Scott, but I don’t need a random hookup to know the details.”

“You can’t get Sabrina out of your head, can you?” Chris didn’t answer; he just looked at his brother with a blank stare. “I think that’s my answer, man. Why don’t you call her? There’s been enough time and distance, can’t you two try and work it out?”

“I told you, she broke my trust, and that isn’t so easy to forgive.”

“No, maybe not, but you adore the woman, and you can’t deny that. You’ve been miserable; everyone sees it. How this girlfriend of yours can’t get that you are going through the motions is beyond me. You’re friendly enough, but you are not the same Chris Evans that you were when you were with her. The light is gone from your eyes; you’re hollow.”

“Bullshit, you’re laying it on kinda thick don’t you think?”

Scott smiled, he was pushing his brother’s buttons, and he was enjoying it. But he needed to get him to think about everything that had been going on and start to make decisions that were right for himself, versus just existing. “No, I don’t think I am. You’re in love with her and I get it, she broke your trust. But fuck, you don’t believe that you two can find a way to work this out? She had trust issues of her own, Chris. Or did you forget that?”

Chris stood up, the anger lighting up his eyes. “I didn’t forget it, and you’d be best to back off. Why are you pushing so damn hard, anyway?”

“You're my big brother, and I hate seeing you so fucking miserable. Don’t you think you owe her a little on this? You said her ex-husband did a number on her, don’t you think that skewed her view a little?”

“Drop it, Scott, please. I need to get her out of my head, and you’re not helping me. I know you’ve got my best interest at heart, but honestly, I don’t think I can afford to take the risk.”

“Fine, but can you afford not to?” With that, Scott dropped the subject and swore he wouldn’t bring up Sabrina’s name again.

“Probably not, but I have to try. Look, I’ve got several projects coming up, and I have to do the post-production on the movie I just wrapped. Even if I told you I wanted to fix things with her, I just don’t have the time to do it.”

“Obviously you’ve thought about it a great deal, though. But by all means, ignore your heart, work like crazy and hope your work doesn’t suffer. Just know that your family loves you, we see that you’re hurting and we hate that we can’t help you fix it.”

~ * ~  
Audrey had talked to Gunnar about the job offer. She tried to keep the excitement down in her voice; she didn’t want to hurt his feelings in any way regarding her potential move from his firm. She was hoping he would understand and be supportive, but she knew there was a chance it would be hard for him to accept. To her surprise, he was overjoyed with the news.

He wasn’t looking for her to leave his firm. In fact, he was afraid he would have a hard time adjusting to her not being in the office each day. However, when he hired Audrey he knew that there were scars from her emotional exit at Burnham. He also knew that the dissolving of her friendship with Sabrina had been harder on her than she liked to admit. The fact that they were rebuilding the relationship and spending time together made him happy because he knew that it was making Audrey happy.

Their relationship had blossomed over the past few months and was becoming more serious. He felt like her move back to Burnham could only strengthen them because it would provide opportunities for them to share information about their day with one another. Working together in the same office would have hindered that.

As she walked into Burnham Design for her first day on the job as President, Audrey was nervous. She didn’t know why, she knew everyone in the office, except for Morgan Walsh. That would be rectified shortly. Sabrina met her in the hallway and ushered her into her new “temporary” office. Renovations would have to be done to the entire office to accommodate space for Audrey and to relocate Sabrina. The renderings were complete, Sabrina had done them herself, and construction would begin in a few days. It was necessary to do the formal introduction and announce the organization changes before the construction started, though.

Perhaps the only person more excited than Audrey was Sabrina. This meant that she could go back and focus on the things that mean the most to her, and the operations of the company could be handed off for good. It also meant she had more time for her therapy sessions. She had determined that with everything that had happened, she needed help to sort through it all. She needed to reconcile that what Kyle did was his problem and not her’s. But come to grips with the fact that she let it dictate her life and let it ruin a relationship that meant more to her than she had ever truly expected. She also needed to accept that she hurt Chris so deeply and she had to live with that pain.

Audrey and Gunnar had suggested therapy, and she had scoffed at it initially. But after meditating on it, her other new hobby, she realized it was the right thing to do. The sessions were helping, or at least she felt like they were. The counselor was not passing judgment on her for anything that happened. Instead, she tried to help her maneuver the landmine of feelings and figure out how to work through them.

She had once again started to work on the drawings for the cabin. It was the idea of the therapist; she just followed through on what the doctor had suggested. When they were complete, she had talked to a builder who was intrigued, and things snowballed from there. She had purchased a plot of land, and nestled the house on the property. Once Audrey was set in her job, and Morgan was okay with the changes, Sabrina left to oversee the construction. The next thing she knew, she was being recognized for innovation in home design based on things she had done with the cabin. Not only that, she was being interviewed by magazines and television shows for what she was doing. The skyscraper queen was building a log cabin.

When she returned to Chicago with the pictures of the cabin, everyone was in awe of how it turned out. The setting was peaceful, and it really would be a safe haven for getting away from the daily grind. Sabrina reached out to an interior designer to ask for assistance in furnishing the home. After numerous calls back and forth, the overall aesthetic of the home was decided upon, and the designer went to work. Sabrina had asked that there be a non-disclosure agreement in place, there was information about the home that Sabrina did not want anyone to know about.

With the project complete and her company in capable hands, Sabrina felt as if she could focus on her rebuilding. She had officially closed a chapter of past and needed to do what she could to get Chris out of her mind. She had joked with Audrey that maybe she needed to get out of Chicago for a while, that maybe part of her problem was the emotional baggage of the city. When she joked about it with her therapist, the good doctor said it was a valid point. Since Sabrina had the means to walk away, maybe an extended vacation would provide her the opportunity she needed to heal.

Sabrina spread a map of the world along the wall in the apartment. With Gunnar and Audrey as witnesses, she threw darts at the map to determine where she would travel. With destinations selected, she packed her bags and set out to find herself.


	28. Epilogue

The credits were rolling, Sabrina Burnham sat in the darkened movie theater, and her emotions were raw. She was initially going to skip seeing the new movie that had just been released, the one directed by Chris Evans. But the buzz surrounding it was incredible. It was not very often that almost every movie critic agreed on how good a film was, but they did agree on this one. They had glowing reviews of the movie itself, but especially for the director. The critics commented on how you could tell he had poured his heart and soul into it and had grown so much from his directorial debut a few years earlier. With all of the wonderful praise for him, there was no way she could miss seeing it. While he wasn’t starring in the movie, she could see him throughout it. It was harder to watch than she had anticipated. 

Over the last eighteen months, Sabrina had done all she could to put him out of her mind. She had traveled extensively, staying out of Chicago where memories haunted her. She made the conscience effort to not fly through Los Angeles or Boston. She didn’t want to risk accidently running into him at the airport. She tried to stay away from him on the internet as well; not following his Twitter account or reading Google alerts for the latest news. 

She did know that he had recently filmed two movies after his directorial project was complete. One had already been released, and the press tour had put him on Ellen, Kimmel, and Fallon. She saw highlights but couldn’t watch the full clips; she did notice that he looked as handsome as ever. The press tour for his directorial piece was already in full swing, and he would be doing return engagements on the talk shows. Chris had also been in the tabloids and entertainment magazines; she was sure he hated that. He had started a relationship with a woman at one of the studios, and it got quite a bit of publicity. They did the red carpet together and had been seen numerous times in public. Each time she saw photos of the two of them, it ripped her heart out. But she thought he looked happy, and it was good to see that he had at least moved on. She just wished she could have done the same.

So it came as a shock when she heard the news that he and his girlfriend had split. The rumor was that she was upset that he wasn’t willing to take their relationship to the next level. She was telling anyone who would listen that Chris had commitment issues and enjoyed being a playboy versus settling down. This, of course, became a huge headline on every gossip site and entertainment show. Sabrina had to admit she felt sorry for him. He liked to keep his private life, well, private. It meant that his girlfriend didn’t truly know or understand him. At least when her relationship with him ended, no one knew about it. It wasn’t in the paper, and it was never on TV. Of course, no one even knew they were dating, but again, that just shows how they were able to keep it quiet. Just the way Chris liked it.

The lights came up in the theater, and Sabrina knew she had to leave. She grabbed her purse and made her way out into the bright afternoon sunshine. She had been back in Chicago for a few days and figured with the movie behind her; she should go over to the office and see how things were going. Besides, she had a package that needed to be put together and shipped out. She wanted to try and get it out in today’s FedEx pickup if at all possible.

~ * ~  
The house was silent, Chris was enjoying the solitude this morning; it wouldn’t be like this all day so he had to enjoy it while he could. He was in Los Angeles for the next two weeks and then he would be heading home to Boston for a vacation with his family. He opened up the wall of windows across the back of the house, letting in the fresh air of the morning. He made himself a cup of coffee and was preparing to step out onto the back patio when he heard a truck pull up in the driveway. He stopped and listened for a moment, then heard a knock at his front door. He sat his cup down on the bar then made his way to the door, opening it to find a FedEx delivery man on his porch.

“Good Morning, are you, Chris Evans?” The man asked politely.

Chris smiled, “Uh, yeah, I sure am. I take it that's for me?" He asked reaching out for the box. The driver nodded and provided the device for Chris to sign and accept the package. He thanked the driver, closed the door, then walked over to the kitchen table to open the box.

He was a little perplexed to find two envelopes and a small box inside the package. The little box was the size you might get in a department store when you buy small pieces of jewelry. Curiosity got the better of him, and he opened it first. Inside he found a key ring with two keys on it. “Hm, okay, so what are you for?”

He then opened the larger manila envelope, inside he found a beautifully detailed artist rendering of a log cabin. The home was beautiful, and he began to wonder if the keys were for the home. He just didn’t know why he was getting them. He reached for the white #10 envelope and pulled out the letter that was inside. As he unfolded it, he realized it was handwritten and in beautiful script. It was then that he guessed who wrote the letter.

_My Dearest Chris,  
I am sure you are wondering why I am writing. I wish I had an answer for you, but I don’t. I can only say that I felt compelled to do it. I’ve just returned to my office, I’ve been at the movie theater watching your latest film. You did a marvelous job with it; your direction was beautiful, and I could tell you poured your heart into it. I could see you throughout the movie, even though you never appear on the screen. I know you must be proud. I know I am._

_Over the last eighteen months, I’ve tried to put you in my past, but it hasn’t been as easy as I had hoped. You made me believe in love like I’ve never done before. Made me think I was worth something and deserved happiness. Unfortunately, my belief in that left when you did._

_Before you crumple up this letter and throw it away, please know that I never meant to hurt you. I don’t know how to make you understand there was never malicious intent on my part. I only did what I thought was right to protect you. I realize, I went about it the wrong way, but know that I would do it again if I thought I was protecting you and keeping you from harm’s way. I’m not making excuses, but breaking your trust and your heart, was not my intention. And it hurts me every day to know that I did that to you. I am deeply sorry. My therapist has told me that I need to quit beating myself up for what happened. I know she’s right, but I can’t help it when I know that I hurt you like I did. It is a pang of guilt and a regret I won’t be able to get past._

_While we were together, I was working on a project for you. Yes, it was a secret, but I prefer to use the term surprise. It was a gift I was preparing for you. When you left, I was unable to work on it for a while. It took months before I could work up the courage to go back and finish it. It’s done, has been for a while, I was just waiting for the right time to present it to you. Now seems like that time._

_You told me that Tara’s house in Vermont was your safe haven, your sanctuary when you needed to escape. You felt safe because no one in the outside world knew about it. That’s why you took me there. I felt like you needed your own place to escape to, one that wasn’t dependent on whether Tara and Jason were using the house or not. So, I wanted to give you a sanctuary to call your own._

_You’ll find a rendering of the cabin inside the manila envelope. The house is built and is just down the road from Tara’s place in Vermont. Remember the piece of property we looked at, the one with the lake and the gorgeous mountain view? I purchased the property and nestled the home in the perfect spot there. I even made sure your bedroom window would be able to look out and see the blankets of snow, allowing you to have your peace when you wake up each morning. The keys are in the small box._

_The house is already furnished; Tara did the design, so I am fairly confident you will find it to be comfortable and to your taste. Please consider this my peace offering. I hope you know how much I love you and want you to be well and happy. Live a happy life, Chris. I hope you achieve all of your dreams._

_Sincerely,  
Sabrina_

Chris took a deep breath; he was unable to hold back the emotions as he read her letter. He sat it on the table in front of him, then took a seat. He wasn’t sure his legs could hold him up much longer. He was having a hard time comprehending the enormity of what she had said. He stared at the picture of the cabin; it was stunning. He knew she had drawn the picture; her heart was all over it. But as he stared at it, he couldn’t help but think it looked familiar. He had seen it before, but he couldn’t place where. Suddenly it hit him. He jumped out of the seat and ran to the stack of magazines on his coffee table, shuffling through them looking for the latest issue of Architectural Digest.

There, on page 64 of the most recent issue, he saw his cabin. It accompanied a story on Sabrina Burnham and her award winning innovative home design. He had been keeping up with her, although there had not been very much in the way of his Google alerts lately. He had seen the story about her stepping away from her company, but that was it. Until this article came out. He remembered reading it and being thrilled to see she had done some new designs and had won awards for it. As a matter of fact, she had won two for the cabin alone. He quickly scanned the article and suddenly things made sense. He wasn’t sure why he never caught on to it the first time he read the story. She was quoted as saying she had been inspired by someone very special to come up with this design. It had taken her months to complete because of personal heartbreak; her spirit had been broken, and she had lost the desire to work. He quickly realized she was talking about him. He was the heartbreak, and he was the inspiration. He felt like her giving him the cabin was her way of closing out the chapter of the two of them.

He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He also wasn’t sure he could accept the gift; it was extravagant, and he didn’t think he was worthy of it. She was right, she didn’t do what she did to be malicious, her heart was in the right place, she was just misguided. Maybe Scott was right all along; maybe he could have handled the split better. Her gift got him thinking.

~ * ~  
Sabrina was in her home office working on a new project and trying to keep her mind off of the fact that she had not heard from Chris. It had been two days since she had sent him the keys, the drawing, and the letter. Based on the email she received from FedEx, she knew he had signed for the package. Why hadn’t he called, texted, or emailed her about it? Honestly, she wasn’t surprised that he hadn’t reached out. But in the back of her mind, she had hoped that he would. She had even considered that he would send it all back with some note about not wanting it or needing it and for her to leave him alone. She would have even welcomed that, it would have at least been an acknowledgment that he read the letter.

The cabin was such a success that Audrey and Gunner had asked for her to design them a suburban oasis. They were newly engaged and had decided to give up city living and move out into the suburbs. Audrey was also trying to talk Sabrina into expanding the business into residential designs and thought this would be a good test. She politely declined the expansion idea but agreed to help on the home design. She was excited that Audrey had found someone to make her happy, there was no way she would turn down her request to help with the house.

Sabrina was interrupted by the intercom in her office. It was security calling, “Hello, Ms. Burnham, we have a delivery down here for you. Is it okay if we send him up?”

She took a deep breath, figuring this was going to be her response from Chris. “Yeah, send him up. Thanks.”

She made her way out of her office and towards her front door. She checked herself in the mirror to make sure she looked halfway presentable. She had no makeup on, and her hair was in a messy bun, but she at least had clean clothes on and remembered to put a bra on. She had butterflies in her stomach as she waited for the knock on the door, wondering what was being delivered and what his response was going to be.

She was snapped out of her stupor when she heard the loud raps indicating that someone was there. She unlocked the door and flung it open, surprise registering immediately on her face.

He had a faint smile on his face, and his voice was soft, “Hey, I wasn’t sure I could say what I needed to in an email, so I thought I should come and say it in person. Can we talk?”

Sabrina stepped to the side, “Um, sure, come in. I have to say, I honestly didn't expect you, Chris."

As he stepped into the apartment, Sabrina quietly closed the front door.


End file.
